BrookeDi

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Petra Kraus:

Petra stood in line, shopping list in one hand and her wand in the other. She was excited to go back to school, excited to see her friends again, and honestly just relieved to be leaving home. Her mother, shoulders tense, stood beside the young blonde. She was brooding, as usual. Petra tapped her wand against her thigh, debating. The spell was not precisely one that was exactly encouraged at school, but it was useful in a home like hers provided her mom didn't figure out what she was doing.

She turned her head away from her mother's view, directed the wand (discreetly!) toward her mother and whispered "animus dico." For a moment she heard nothing, but then it was there, faint in the back of her mind. Her mother's voice--well, thoughts--whispering in Petra's mind.

'... year it's the same damn thing. Running around at the last minute to spend our hard earned money on all these supplies. Then there's that look in her eyes when I suggest that she use her money--she's the one who is going to be using these things, not me. Ungrateful, that's what she is.' Her mother shook her head slightly, disapprovingly. Petra was familiar with that look.

'At least she'll be gone for an entire year. Maybe she'll spend the holidays at school as well. Wouldn't that be nice? Nico would be disappointed, but he would live.' Nico, her non-magically gifted brother, was the only one in her family who didn't look down on her because of her gifts. "Are we nearly done?" Her mother asked, out loud, causing Petra to jump. She lost concentration and her mother's thoughts were gone.

"Nearly," she replied, chewing at her bottom lip. She faced her eyes forward, scolding herself. There's some proverb about eavesdropping that implied this sort of thing would happen. Ever since she found out she had magic in her blood, Petra had suspected that her parents were slightly afraid of the unknown and maybe a little put off by it all, but she'd thought that their love for her would win out over that uncertainty. She'd just proved herself wrong, finally realizing just how deep her mother's loathing went.

The day that Petra left for school was not bittersweet but a relief for all involved. They stuck her on a plane to Banff where, from there, she'd catch an Orniormabichus acting as a bus. Once seated on the bus, her eyes scanned for a familiar face, but she had arrived early with mostly grade nines on the bus. Leaning back into the seat, she stared out the window for the remainder of the ride.

Once they passed into the wards, though, Petra kept an eye out for a familiar face, or even a friendly one. It was found in Professor Kenneth who was herding the children off the bus and feeding the creature treats as she did so. "Miss Kraus," the professor greeted with a kind smile and Petra returned the greeting with a smile of her own; it felt like coming home.

----

Natalia Bebnev

The Bebnev family drove up to the school to deliver their daughter, personally. "Remember what we discuss," Natalia's mother instructed in her broken English.

"I'm almost out of school. College and opportunities will follow," Natalia recited back, obediently. "I have to stay serious about school and my future."

Her mother smiled, reached back and cupped her daughter's cheek in her hand. "That is correct, l'vitsa." The student smiled at the endearment: lioness. There were common Russian terms of endearment meant for boys, a baby lion, but Natalia's mother had believed and bestowed that belief on her daughter, that she would be stronger than any man and deserved a nickname that described strength and grace. 'The lioness is the one who truly cares for the family,' her mother had always told her, 'they are stronger than the lion and you will be just as the lioness.'

"I have much faith in you," her mother continued. "You are on the right path already."

"What if I don't get invited?" Natalia asked, the worry seizing her. This year could alter her future and though usually self-assured, losing her invite terrified the young redhead.

"Then you will invite yourself, l'vitsa. If an opportunity is not offered to you, you must take it. You are smart; you will figure out the right person to speak to. They will respect you for it."

Natalia considered this information and nodded. She'd end up in the right place, no matter what.

Once they arrived at the school, her parents did not hug or cry as they said goodbye. Her mother cupped her cheek once more and reminded her to be a lioness. Her father kissed the top of her head and told her to stand tall. So, she did. Back straight and head high, Natalia entered Altsoba as if all the things she'd been discussing with her parents for years, had already come true. Of course, once inside it was about blending in. She smiled, looking for those that she called friends, and mentally prepared for the year that was to come.
 
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Arthur wasn't with his parents, having made the trip on his own. He lived close enough to the bus stop, so he just walked and walked a bit more. His parents wanted to send him off very badly, but they were both busy with work and couldn't exactly get an hour off with the reason of sending their son off to a magical school. So Arthur was alone.

The "bus" arrived and he slipped on, absently ducking his head even though there was literally no need to. It was a habit he gained every summer, when he lived back at his oddly short house with his parents. As he sat down he did have to scrunch his legs a bit, but that was normal and didn't feel odd anymore.

Once the Orniormabichus arrived at the school, Arthur waited to get off until most everyone else was off. Then he stepped off of the "bus" and looked around. He saw familiar face after familiar face, but he wasn't sure, even now, who he could call his friends. It made for an unpleasant school experience, as he at times wished and wished and wished some more for someone to talk to, but he had survived this long and he enjoyed the other parts of school. Two more years, and Arthur wanted them to be the best yet.
 
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Elpida Smith
Though usually Elpida would be worried about throwing up on car rides, all she could think about was her baby in the back. The roads hadn't been kind on the way up; bumpy and rocky, and full of sharp, windy turns that forced you to brace yourself on the car doors. It was only an hour drive - Elpida and her family lived just a stone's throw from Banff, in Cochrane - but she knew how mean car rides could be.

Her brother, Leonidas, pulled up in front of the gates. "Calm down," he quipped in Greek. "I'm sure it's fine." He knew his little sister well enough to know what she was so worried about, but his soothing words didn't do anything to stop her from practically throwing herself out of the BMW. She rushed to pop the trunk, and grabbed the handle of the hard case. Pulling her wand out of her jacket pocket, she tapped it on the lid of the case, whispering an incantation under her breath.

The top of the case cleared like glass, and inside lay Apollo, her guitar. He was a beauty. She just got new strings the other day, so he was as good as new. His body had originally been the colour of ash wood, but Elpida had paid a good friend to paint it for her. Now, it showed a mural, and a beautiful one at that. Ancient Greece told its story from the body of her guitar. Odysseus, Theseus, Prometheus, were just a few that leapt out at her as she drank in the image. It'd been decorated like that for years now, but she was more and more mystified by it every time.

She couldn't tell if he was in tune, but knowing that he wasn't smashed was enough for her.
"Thought you said you'd enchanted the case? Made it 'super strong'?" Leonidas asked, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.
"I did, but it's not like I'm the best sorceress in the world. It might have worn off, since you almost crashed about five times on the way over!" Her brother was far from the best driver, and Elpida knew how to use that to jab at him.
"I'll break the thing myself if you don't watch your mouth," Leonidas muttered with a chuckle, pulling a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. He held one between his teeth and lit it with his fingertip.
As soon as she saw the first puff of smoke leave his mouth, Elpida felt the atmosphere change. She shifted her weight uncomfortably from foot to foot, fumbling with her suitcase. "Mamá won't be happy if she smells that off you," she warned, not making eye contact with her brother as she pulled her things out the trunk.
"Good thing she's not going to, then."

The conversation died. Elpida silently put her guitar case on her back, holding her suitcase in one hand. "You guys gonna come to Banff for the day trips?" She asked, still not able to look him in the eye.
"Aren't you wanting to spend them with your friends?" Leonidas asked.
"Yeah, but I've got all week with my friends. It'll be nice to go for lunch with everyone."
Leonidas shrugged. He held the cigarette between his teeth and opened his arms to his little sister. She put away her grudges and fell into his arms. It was brief, but firm. He was only two years older, but tall, and she always felt so little beside him.

"You look after yourself, El," he mumbled into the top of her head.
She broke away. As she spoke, she eyed the glowing tip of the cigarette, "you too, Leo."
Her brother's face hardened. "Leonidas," he corrected.

Not Leo anymore.

Elpida squirmed under his gaze. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"It's fine. I'll...I'll see you soon."

A blink, and he was gone, cigarette smoke blowing out the car window.

Elpida took a deep breath. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. There. She was ready now. She turned towards the school, away from the road.

This would be a good year, she decided as she walked towards Altsoba. She was going to have a good year.



Castor Sternberg
When your grandmother was Evelyn Sternberg, you weren't getting public transport any farther than the corner store.

Castor would have been fine to take a plane or a bus or a taxi, really, he would have. He didn't particularly want to be trapped in a car with his overbearing nan for a two-day road trip, anyways. But she insisted. So, while Professor Caroline Sternberg slaved over her work in Arcadia University, Pennsylvania, her plucky, eighty year old, half-blind mother drove her son all the way to Banff, Alberta.

After stopping off and staying a while with relatives in Moose Jaw, Castor and his grandmother powered their way through the remaining eight-hour journey and arrived at Altsoba School of Sorcery. Castor thought this would be the end of it all - thank her for the ride, say goodbye, wave her off - but no, no, Evelyn Sternberg would see him right up to the gates. It wasn't like she hadn't been there before, it wasn't like she didn't know it was practically the safest place on Earth! She and her daughter had went for four years of their life - no, actually, his gran had taught there, so more than that! - and they'd both been perfectly fine to walk themselves to the gates! Masking his frustration - and mild embarrassment, he had to admit - beneath a practiced smile, he handed his grandmother her cane, and held her arm as they walked the last few yards to the gates.

He felt her grip tighten as he tried to let go. "Come on, nan, you can't go by the gates," he said gently, coaxing his arm out her grasp. As he tried to meet her eye, he saw that she wasn't looking at him, but the building ahead. Tall ivory walls shimmered in the faint autumn sunlight, and vivid green grass sparkled with the morning dew. Birds crowded on the cobalt blue roof, but Castor couldn't have told you if it was a good or a bad omen. He hoped for good. Looking back to his grandmother, he watched her eyes, almost hidden behind thick-lensed glasses, cloud with tears.

He was taken aback by the display of emotion. As far as he was aware, his gran only had one emotion: grumpy. He placed a hand on her back, attempting to soothe or calm, but his hands were too big and he was too clumsy. His hand landed heavy, and his gran jumped out of her moment. Wincing at himself, he tried to offer her a gentle smile. "Everything alright?" He asked softly.
Evelyn Sternberg smacked her lips together slowly, as if deciding what to say. It took her a moment, but she eventually replied, "don't worry about me, Castor. You have a good year, now. And give that blasted Foster a kick up the ass from me." She grabbed him by the face, planted a kiss on his cheek, and hobbled back to the car.

Wiping the coral pink lipstick from his cheek, Castor called after her a flustered, "bye, nan!" Foster was the astronomy professor that had taken over the post when his gran retired fifteen years ago, but he'd retired himself a couple years ago. Not like that mattered to Evelyn Sternberg, if she even remembered; once incompetent, always incompetent, as far as she was concerned. Even though he'd spent two days trying to avoid conversation with her, he watched that beat-up beetle wobble around the road until it disappeared around a corner.

He swallowed to ease the ache in his throat and turned to look at the school. Pulling his roller suitcase behind him, Castor Sternberg stepped onto the grounds of Altsoba.
 
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Mikhail
Mikhail sat on the steps of the main building, his new astronomy text book open on his lap. When he had sat down, he had had every intention of actually reading the book while enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, but he had hardly started when the first interruption came. A new kid by the looks of them, had asked him for directions, which he had happily provided. After watching the retreating figure to make sure the little boy and his family really did head in the right direction, he had turned his attention back to his book. He got no further than two paragraphs before a squirrel was snuffling at his pockets. Frankly, Mikhail was surprised it had taken the critter so long. The squirrel was quickly joined by a friend and a cat. The latter was at least content to curl up on the warm stones next to him for a nap, but the squirrels wanted to play.
By the time they had headed off, the area in front of the building was starting to fill with students, teachers and parents as more and more of the Orniormabichus arrived. Quickly deciding that watching the goings on was far more interesting than his text book; Mikhail leaned back and gently scratched his furry companions back as he observed the quickly growing crowd. He was rather glad he had arrived several days earlier due to the flight schedules to other continents. He didn’t much fancy being part of the rather frantic action before him. There were a lot of new students this year and they and their families made it hard for him to pick out the older students. Still he kept an eye out for familiar faces.

Tahliya
Tahliya bounced gently on the spot as she waited at the otherwise deserted bus stop. Much like every year, her family had made somewhat of a holiday of the act of sending her back to school, or rather; dropping her off at one of the nearest bus stops to the school. Tahliya was never quite sure what they did after they had said their goodbyes, but she figured it had to be something fun to help her little brother get over the fact that he still had a few years before he could follow in her footsteps and walk the halls of Altsoba as more than a visitor. When the Orniormabichus finally trundled into sight, she was hopping from one foot to the other impatiently. Stuffing her suitcase inside quickly, she stood back and watched as the bus set off again, a faint air of confusion hanging about it as to why she wasn’t aboard as well. It must be a new one, she mused, the old one was used to it by now. Pulling her long pale blonde hair into a quick ponytail, she stuffed her wand between the hair tie and her scalp for safekeeping and turned her attention up the road the Orniormabichus had just disappeared along. After a few quick last minute streaches, she set her shoulders and started the trek she had made each year since she had learned that the track team regularly went running in the wilds around the school. Her light run was suited nicely to the slight incline of the road and the even ground. Later, when she broke away from the road into the rougher terrain that lay on the ddirecter path to school than the road the busses took, she would have to slow down to avoid twisting an ankle or something similar.

It was getting rather late by the time Tahliya made her way through the gates, sweaty and exhausted but happy. She hoped one of the girls had recognised her suitcase and at the very least saved it from being trampled by the flood of returning students. If she was lucky, someone might have even seen in which room she was in and decided to take it along. The old Orniormabichus had usually been kind enough to store her luggage out of the way of the rest of the students, but she didn’t think the new one would know about that.

Jian Lei
Jian Lei ran a finger along the sheet of paper on the notice board, trying for the fifth time to find his allocated room number. He kept slipping between the lines of the table of names, dates, classes and other information he certainly didn’t need right now. Why couldn’t they colour code the stupid thing or something? At the very least make a separate list for their rooms. Double checking his number one final time, he scanned the table for the recurring number. 1299. His annoyance vanished as quickly as it had come when he saw who else was in his room. This semester should be fun. 1299. He was sure of it this time. Not like last year where he had started unpacking in the wrong room and no one had noticed till there were 5 rather confused people standing in their shared living space. 1299 should be easy enough to remember. Hitching his backpack higher on his shoulder, he set off towards the west wing. Waving to people he recognised, he didn’t stop to chat just yet. That would have to wait until he had gotten the best bed for himself.
 
Living in Canmore meant that Stephy only had an eight minute drive to school. Which was nice because that meant she could see her family whenever she wanted, but also sucked because that meant her family could see her whenever they wanted.

The time between shoving her suitcases into her father's beat up blue Geo Tracker and them pulling up to the school gates was rather uneventful on this particular day. She sat in the front seat, peering out of the window with her head propped up on her hand. Her father didn't say much, and her younger sisters were far too busy pulling each other's ponytails in the back seats to strike up much of a conversation.

"See you soon, Stephy." Her father's voice was warm as he patted the top of Stephy's head. "Go kick some-"

"Ass!" Her sisters finished the sentence.

A few moments later, Stephy had taken her obnoxious purple luggage out of the trunk and the van was off, making the ominous rumbling and clinking noises that it had made ever since Stephy could remember, and with her younger sisters' faces smushed against the windows as they stuck out their hands to wave goodbye to her.

The redhead just grinned and waved back until they were out of view, then grabbed hold of her suitcases and began her trek to the school doors.
 
Annemarie and Sawyer Watson

"I wish you'd let me do more than trim you up, A.M," said the voice behind her as the comb scratched lovingly against her scalp and down the long, damp, golden strands of hair till it stopped for a quick snip-snip from the scissors. "You have the prettiest hair, and it's so healthy. I could really make it current by adding some layers or even bangs."

"Bangs?" came the horrified reply as Annemarie looked up to the mirror to gaze at her twin in the mirror. Twin was a strong word considering they were very much fraternal. They had the same blue eyes, skin tone, and hair color (though Sawyer tended to color his per the occasion), and that's where the similarities ended. Annemarie was an inch taller than her brother (and wasn't that humiliating?!), and she wore glasses which he did not. Most of their differences came from their personalities, though. Annemarie was quiet, charming, sweet...her brother could be those things but typically wasn't.

"Yes, bangs. They are all the fashion these days. Look at Zooey Deschanel." Sawyer replied with another snip of her hair.

"Mhm, well, I like my style just fine, thankyouverymuch." This was a really old discussion that had made its appearance through the years ever since Sawyer had discovered his love of cosmetology at age nine.

"Fine, fine. Well, you're all done. Just let me blow you dry." Sawyer flexed his fingers blew on the tips, and then used his air magic to strip the water from her hair, leaving it soft and mermaidy. He tied the black ribbon at the end leaving a short tail of a few inches, then he stepped back so she could stand.

"Thanks, S." She stood with her kitten in her arms and headed to her bedroom to gather her trunk for school. The kitten would be a new addition since she had found her Familiar a few weeks ago.

"Time to go, kids!" Came the shout from the living room.

Sawyer bent to look at himself in the vanity mirror. He tweaked his hair just a bit until it was just perfect, then he lifted the handle on the trunk and rolled it to the living room where he met his sister and parents.

"Ready, kids?" Joella Watson waited for their nods, and then held out both hands. "Take my hands and say goodbye to your father." When the kids took her hands, she transported them to the gates of the school. "Bye, kids. Be good, use your manners, and have fun!" She kissed them both on the forehead, then transported away, leaving them alone together.

The twins shrugged at each other before heading in.
 
Walking to the school was a short girl with long, flowing grey hair named Twilight. She decided to come alone today - whenever her parents and magic were both involved in practically anything, they became useless, and replied on her to do everything for them. Along with that, walking was nice, except for the that that she had to roll those two large bags of luggage along with her. Well, at least I'm getting practice for the exercise classes? I could spell myself away, but... I'll prepare for the manual labor.

Twilight briefly looked in her bags to check. Hygiene-related supplies - check. Grey hair dye - check. Posters of animes and bands she likes - check. It seemed like she was all ready to go, and she slightly smirked before continuing to move on forward. She had to admit, after a while, walking alone got.... lonely. I'm confident I won't be feeling much loneliness once I get to school.

Twilight began to walk up to the school to the gates, noting all of the interesting personas she saw. She saw twins, a redhead who seemed to also have quite a few suitcases, and some kids who were getting off of buses. Twilight sighed lightly. This year is going to be interesting, that's for sure. Then she walked in.
 
So...this was it. Summer had come and gone, meaning it was time to head back to school for the year. Not that Destiny minded, of course; Altsoba being located in a national park made it a sort of paradise for Destiny Osbourne. Being away from the rest of the world, free to walk around and be around nature...it was wonderful. Honestly, she wouldn't mind staying here in Banff after graduation. On her own, in a little cabin deep in the forest...oh, man. That sounded like a dream!

She couldn't keep her eyes off the window as her parents drove her to school. Tree after tree after tree...

"DESTINY!"

"Huh?" She pulled her head away from the window to look at her mother in tge driver's seat. Her father, a mortal accountant, had to be at work today, leaving the task of dropping theur daughter off at school to Elizabeth Osbourne (it was tradition in their family for women to not take their spouse's surnames).

Elizabeth looked at her daughter sternly. "I've been trying to get yoyr attention for thirty second now!"

"Oh..." Destiny rubbed her neck. "Sorry."

"You can get distracted when you're back at school. Right now, I need to talk to you so I don't miss anything! It's not like we'll be able to talk every day when you're up there." Adjusting her coke-bottle glasses, Destiny's mother went silent, eyes upward as her mouth started moving. Destiny couldn't help but smile; her mother had a habit of going over what she wanted to say in her head before actually saying it, leading to awkward pauses like this. It made Destiny wonder if she had any weird quirks like that. Well, she played with her hair a lot when she thought, did that count? Oh, wait. Mom was talking now.

"No drugs, no alcohol, no smoking, no sex."

"Mom!"

"Well? I'm a mother, sweetie. I have to say it. I mean, I can't stop you from doing anything, it's your body, but-"

"Mom." Destiny put a hand on her mother's shoulder. "I'm in Track. I won't do anything to put that at risk."

"Good. That's good. But not just Track-you have your grades and your sorcery to maintain, too. I better not see anything below a B, got it?"

"Yes, Mom." Destiny nodded obediantly, not worried about her grades at all. I mean...it wasn't like she had anything else to do besides Track and schoolwork. She wasn't the type for socializing with others much, so that was plenty of time to get what she needed done.

"And, finally...have fun, dear. The house is gonna feel empty without you in it." Elizabeth sighed, then looked up. "Oh, I was just in time! We're here."

Sure enough, the large shadow of Altsoba loomed over them. Destiny could feel her heart almost fly out of her chest. She was here, finally! Her home away from home.

"Knock 'em dead, Dezzie. Make Sarah proud." Destiny smiled at her mother, nodding. Make Sarah proud, indeed. Taking her luggage, Destiny gave her mother one last goodbye hug before walking onward to face the exciting new year.​
 
Aoife and Callum Gravely

"My loves, my loves." Eirianwen Gravely weeped with her arms snaked around her children. Her long tight ringlets brushing up against Aoife's face. "I'm going to miss you so much." Her Welsh accent deep, almost staggering as she held on as tightly as she could to her offspring. The break had been lovely, just as they always were. Aoife knew no better couple than her parents, and her whole life she had never seen them quarrel. Privately, they did, she was sure, but all together they were the happiest of families.

"Mumma.. " Aoife sighed, her hands pressing her mother's hair back, trying to comfort her. "We will see you for holiday, you can write us like always." Her hand cupped her mothers face. "You have to promise me to be good. The boys, and girl-" She grinned, her other hand reaching down to her mother's swelling belly. "-Need you to be okay. We've been doing this for so long, and I know it doesn't get any easier. We will write to you every day. Nothing has changed." Aoife was always gentle, but this was different. She felt more protective over her mother, as she carried her final (she hoped) sibling. Her parents were still young, their father only going to turn fourty the following year. Callum had been a graduation party accident and she had been a plain mistake. But her parents loved her still, they knew nothing other than love and she was sure of it. Taking a step back to let Callum and their mother have a moment, she grabbed their bags out of the car.

She wished her father could have been there, but it was the on-season for work, and with a baby on the way there was no point in wasting time. Their father, Lachlan, was a man of pride. Who dreamed to give his family a posh life, but never being able to achieve it. It was an internal struggle that Aoife could feel, and through energy transfers she would often try to rid him of such guilt.

Looking over her shoulder one last time, she told her mother she loved her, instructing her to drive safely and to continue eating well before striding through the campus. A sense of familiarity, but like every year there was a heavy sense of guilt. There was the constant reminder that they were doing the right things by going to school, even if it didn't feel like it when the time came. Something like this was a choice their parents never had, they had graduated from a normal, boring, human university and by 18, they were parents. That was their fault, but it was easy to feel like the universe had plucked them from the sky and planted them on earth just for them.

Callum jogged to catch up to his sister, his bags rolling in the background as he tried his best not to trip over his own feet. His eyes cloudy with tears, the boy inhale harshly. He was trying to keep it all together, the next day, he would be fine, he always was. Together, the pair walked and Aoife immediately kicked off of her shoes as she walked through the grass. People bustled around them and they would take turns greeting every one.
 
Petra Kraus
The young blonde expected to be the first in her room. However, when she arrived Eva Beneventi was already there, her cauldron set up in the middle of the living room. There was smoke coming from the bowl, and Eva looked a little frazzled; her dark hair pulled into a messy bun (and not the intentional kind), and there were strange colored stains on her apron. In her hands, she held a gold envelope that she kept glancing at, distractedly. Petra hesitated at the door of the suite, but the Italian-American waved her in. "It's fine; you're safe." She squinted at the blonde. "Petra, right?"

Petra nodded.

"You're across from me," the other girl beamed, indicating the closed door directly across from the potion mess she was making. Her name was written on the door in big, bold letters. The door behind Eva had her name in it. "Sorry about the mess, had to get an early start for the year." She gestured vaguely to the groups of vials surrounding the steaming cauldron. Again, Petra nodded as if she understood what she was talking about. "And I haven't exactly unpacked, yet, so I promise this won't be a common occurrence in the living room." She looked desperately at Petra as if she didn't want to start the year with one of her roommates mad at her. Petra opened her mouth to offer some kind of reassurance, but the pot in front of her started to bubble, and Eva cursed under her breath, no longer paying attention to her suite-mate. Shrugging, Petra pushed open her door.

Some of her belongings were already in her room, the ones that she had sent ahead, leaving the two bags that Petra held being the last of her things. She set those aside, found a space on her bed and sat, taking it in. She only had two more years at this school; that seemed like nothing. She would miss this magical place. There was a loud "EEK" from the living room as soon as she had that thought. "Then again..." she muttered, to no one in particular.

Deciding that she wasn't quite in the mood to unpack, she exited the bedroom and went into the hallway to glance at the names on the other two doors. Tahliya and Elpida; no one she hated, so that was nice, but no close friends, either. Speaking of, she wondered if Castor had arrived, yet.

By the time she returned to the living room, Eva had managed to get whatever was happening in the pot under control, though she still looked a bit frazzled. Petra gave her an awkward smile and darted back into her room to get started with unpacking so she'd at least have a bed to sleep on tonight.

Natalia Bebnev
Stopping before her suite door, room 1217, she took a deep breath. This was it. This would determine her fate. There was a slight moment of hesitation before she opened the door and entered the room. She glanced at the names on the first two doors she saw the names Twilight and Destiny. Moving further into the hall near the bathrooms, she saw her name on the left-hand door and Monique on the other. She made a face at that. Last year, Natalia had roomed with Eva in one of the smaller suites (, the younger students still have four to a suite, but they share a room rather than getting a room to themselves). The other girl was the most cluttered person Natalia had ever met (the two were like night and day, honestly) and now she was stuck across from the other girl's best friend.

"Birds of a feather flock together," she muttered to herself, hoping that Monique would not be as messy... at least not in the shared spaces.

Turning to her bedroom door, Natalia hesitated once more. She closed her eyes, saying a quick prayer to all seven gods--one of them was bound to hear her if they existed, right?

Letting out her breath at the same time that she opened the door, she glanced around the room. It seemed completely ordinary. Entering the room, Natalia shut the door behind her, leaned against it for support, and blinked back tears.

"The door." She whispered, touching the door behind her. "My shirt," she continued, feeling the soft fabric. "The desk," she reached out to the desk right near the doorway. Bending down, eyes still closed, she let her fingers run through the soft carpet. "The carpet." Each one was exhaled with a deep breath. "The chair," she reached again, touching the cushion of the chair.

Opening her eyes again, she started the next stage. Deep breath in, and exhale. "The window," she spotted, glancing around for what else she could see. "My boxes. The bed." Her glance fell upon the bed and something glittering on the pillow caught her eye. Walking over to the bed, she plucked up a golden envelope from the bed. Her name was written on the back, and it was not her handwriting. She had calmed now, but she still had to finish the ritual. "A golden envelope," she hadn't expected it to be so subtle, honestly.

Listening carefully, she listed out the three things she could hear, immediately. "Footsteps, the front door opening, and someone yelling out in the main hall somewhere."

Inhaling deep, "The ink on this paper, and the smell of my mother's perfume." It still clung to her clothes.

Licking her lips, she smiled, "Cherries," the taste of cherry chapstick now on lips.

The ritual complete, with shaking hands, Natalia opened the envelope. Inside on white cardstock with beautiful gold lettering, was her invitation.

Natalia Bebnev,
You are humbly invited...
West Wing Basement.
11:59 PM
Tonight.
Do
not be late. Tell no one.
Come alone.
-VeM
Of course, even if she wanted to tell someone, she wouldn't be able to. The paper was charmed to prevent her from speaking about the contents. As soon as she had read what the letter contained, her letter and envelope went up in flames. Natalia let out a breath; her mother would be so proud.

----------------​

Meanwhile, this same message (only with the correct name on it) would be found in the rooms of the following students and should they not see it, initially, the envelope will continue to move around the room until it is spotted.

Elpida
Annemarie
Aoife
Mikhail
Twilight
Arthur
Destiny
Stephy

Something about the mysterious message (and maybe there's a little more to it than that) urges you to go, despite not knowing who, or what, or why.
 
After Twilight entered the building, she headed for her room for the most part. However, she found it rude to not greet her grademates from last year and some underclassmen she recognized, but... for the most part, she was worried about who her roommates would be. It wasn't that Twilight was introverted... well, she was, but it wasn't that she didn't want to talk with them - she just wanted to focus on her studies far more. It'd been easy last year because she was roommates with a girl named Ivy Broksoon, who was a total rebel and wasn't even in her room most of the time until the higher-ups found her. What ended up happening to that girl, anyway? Did she drop out? No.... she seems like the type of child whose parents forced them to join.

It was very much the opposite for Twilight, however. Even if their over-dependence on her for minimal tasks was rather grating, Twilight begged her parents to let her get supplies and everything early to enroll, and they were happy to oblige. Sure, they weren't perfect, but Twilight loved her parents to the moon and back, and she was sure they did the same. Shoot, here comes the loneliness again. Twilight wish she'd said more of a goodbye to her parents when she left... I'll write. It's not like I'm just abandoning them, after all.

Finally, Twilight got to her suite, reading the number 1217. Well, it looks like this is what was assigned to me. I hope people near my room aren't so loud! It helps that we don't completely share them anymore, but still...! Twilight sighed before opening the door... and saw that it was empty. I guess that someone else was in the other room, Twilight thought before seeing the envelope. Her eyes opened wide. There was a golden envelope by the side of her bed.

Twilight hadn't expected something like that so early.

Slightly sweating, Twilight opened the envelope, reading the message. She did a little fist-bump to herself. All that time spent studying or training... even if her parents were occasionally bothering her, it was all worth it! She was finally being noticed! ...who she was being noticed by, she had no idea, but she was still really excited! Twilight flopped onto her bed and smiled. This year seemed to be off to a pretty good start!

I should still introduce myself to my neighbors, however. Twilight's smile turned into a neutral resting face as she lectured herself and stood up after a few seconds. She grabbed the envelope and hid it in one of her suitcases before going to the room across from Natalia and lightly knocking the door.​
 
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Before Twilight can even make it to her suitcase, the envelope and its contents go up in flame, leaving no trace that the shiny invitation was ever there.
 
Twilight saw it disappear and sighed. "Hm.... I haven't heard of this..." Then, thinking that it had to be some kind of enchantment, Twilight knocked on Natalia's door. It looks like my roommate is a chanter. Maybe she's practicing magic? "Hello?" she awkwardly greeted.​
 
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Annemarie Watson
Once inside the gates, the twins immediately split up. They got along most days, but they also had their own friends and interests that were vastly different than each other's. Annemarie, a quiet soul, smiled and nodded at her friends since her hands were full: she carried the kitten's purple carrier in one hand and rolled her trunk like a wagon with the other as she walked quickly up the path to the front doors. She was eager to set up her room and then introduce her familiar to the animals in the Creature Barn where the Care of Magical Creatures Club was held.

She checked in at the table in the front hall and accepted her schedule with her dorm room and key. Room 1220...well, okay. She headed to the girl's dormitory and up the stairs, and before long she was at her door. With a quick flick of the key, she was in the room and glancing around; all was silent and still. "Looks like we are the first ones here, Poet." She bent and unlatched the lock on the cat carrier. A teeny tiny ball of solid black fluff teetered out and arched its back into a languid stretch before yawning widely. Huge yellow eyes glanced around, taking in everything before turning around three times and curling up into a ball. "Really, Poet, come on, now. This is an exciting day, not time for a nap." Apparently the kitten didn't care because he made no move other than to sigh.

Annemarie chuckled and walked to the door with her name on it. She looked at the names on the other door of the suite: Stephy and Aoife. She knew Stephy from the Care of Magical Creatures Club, and she liked the girl, so that was definitely nice. She didn't know Aoife, but she expected the girl would be nice enough as most people were. Annemarie did not anticipate spending too much time in the dorm anyway, much preferring the outside where all the animals were to being cooped up inside. She opened the door to her room, and her was caught immediately by a golden envelope resting upon the pillow of her bed as if it belonged there...which it didn't. Setting the trunk against the wall to unpack later, Annemarie lifted the envelope and ran a delicate nail under the sealed edge to open it. Twin brows rose in surprise as she took in the information. What the heck was VeM? She didn't know as she was also not one to listen to idle school rumors. Well, this deserved a bit of investigating. She would definitely be attending this little meeting.


Sawyer Watson
When the twins split up, Sawyer did not head straight in to receive his schedule and room. No, Sawyer was the socialite of the two, so he took off at a shuffling jog to a group of his friends standing nearby. "Oh, my gosh, Simone," he gushed, "I just can't believe you and Rowan broke up over the summer! You two were the cutest couple ever! But ya know what? He never deserved you." He paused when Rowan started walking by, and turned to stare at the other kid with narrowed eyes. He was nothing if not loyal to his friends...at least most of the time.

Once the offending student had left, Sawyer turned back to the group, so what do you think the school musical will be this year? I'm absolutely dying to do Cats!"

"There's no way we would do Cats, Sawyer. There aren't even any actual speaking parts," retorted Lolly loftily. "Besides, you only want to do Cats because of the makeup and costuming."

"Well, you're not wrong," Sawyer grinned. "Okay, realistically, I hope we do Into the Woods. It's one of my favorites and still has cool makeup and hair."

The discussion continued as all chipped in to what they wish the school musical would be this year.
 
Elpida Smith
This is going to be a good year.

This was the mantra that she repeated in her head as she pushed her way through the crowd, pressing on the backs of those who didn't make way. She was always a little more irritable when she had Apollo with her. Someone a little too curious, a little too careless, could send Elpida's world upside down if they were stupid enough. So, she decided that she'd get to her room, leave her things, then make the big journey outwards to try and find a friend or two if there weren't any in her dorm.

It was strange to be higher up, she realised as she climbed the stairs to the higher Grade 11 floor. Sure, it was only higher by one floor, but it made a difference when you hadn't been doing much exercise over the holidays and you had a suitcase and a guitar. She wondered briefly when duelling club would start back, but couldn't bear to think much longer on the early morning training sessions. She trailed a hand along the corridor wall, almost floating down the hall to Room 1212. She didn't hesitate before entering, only opening the door and walking in as if she'd always lived there.

If she'd waited a beat, she probably would have realised that she would not be the first in her room. She was pretty quickly confronted by the bubbling cauldron that took centre stage of the living area. Taken by surprise, she froze in the doorway, but quickly composed herself and flashed a white, straight-toothed smile to the girl standing at the cauldron. Eva, her name was. "He-ey!" she said cheerily. She would have started up a conversation, but a quick glance around the chaotic workplace was enough to make her reconsider it. She gave the girl a smile, said, "I'll leave you to this!" and moved off to find her bedroom. As she passed the doors, she counted the names on the doors; Eva, Petra, Tahliya. All people that she knew from her classes, but she couldn't have told you much apart from that.

Stepping into her bedroom, the first thing she did was place her guitar down in such a way that there was no threat of it tipping over or falling wonky. Her first thought was that she needed to get her stand and her music stand out, and as she spun towards the hard black suitcase that sat in the corner of the room she saw the golden envelope on top of it.

It was dead centre in the middle of the square suitcase, perfectly placed in such a way that it was impossible to miss. The light from the window hit it just so that it glinted and sent sunbeams blazing into Elpida's eyes. Initially squinting against the light, and then squinting in curiosity, Elpida crossed the short distance, producing her wand from her pocket as she did.

She crouched down beside the case, and gingerly used her wand to poke the envelope, seeing if it would explode, or even just react. Honestly, she was frightened, especially by what she now noticed: her name was handwritten on the back of the envelope. And spelt right, too; she was used to 'Elpitha'.

It didn't seem dangerous to touch, but she kept her wand in her hand as she reached out and took the envelope with her trembling hand. Using the pointed end of her wand as a letter opener, she eased the adhesive away from the paper. The contents slipped out into her lap, face up and readable before she had the time to look.

The instructions were clear, she realised as she held the letter. Each one of the shimmering, glittering letters told her what she'd be doing that night, but before she could much think about them they disappeared into a mosaic of flickering flames that died in her hands.

Only feeling the heat, Elpida's reflexes kicked in. She let out a yelp, and felt her hands suddenly become wet with moisture, one of the many subtle shows of her gift. She kicked herself away from the embers that flitted through the air, dying before they touched the ground, leaving only a few scraps of ash that couldn't truly express the gravity of what they'd once been.

But the point is that they'd once been it, Elpida thought, gently coaxing her hands back to dryness. She'd let her wand fallen away from her in her panic, and she picked it up again. She turned back to the ash, poked her wand into their depths, and said clearly, "reditus."

Elpida was used to her magic working, and working quick. But as she attempted to return the dust back to it's normal form, she felt it push back against her, magic much stronger than hers fighting to keep its secrets. And the next time she blinked, the ash was gone.

She stared at the carpet where the letter had seemingly disappeared into the air. How was that possible? It didn't make any sense.

She recalled faintly the words of the note. The west wing basement, one minute before midnight.

And it was a secret. A big one, she reckoned.

She felt two forces fighting within her. One told her to rush out into the living area, and ask Eva if she knew anything about what she'd just been told. But the other - much stronger, and yet distinctly not her - plead with her to keep it under wraps. Unable to bear the conflict, she decided to hold her information to her chest. It was the only choice she could have made.

As she got to her feet, she was like a baby deer testing its legs. She almost buckled, but eventually recovered from the mix of shock and confusion. She knew there was no point thinking about it, since there was no way she'd be able to figure anything out about the mysterious 'VeM', especially when the thought of talking about it made her want to throw up and faint. Still, she couldn't help but wonder, but in the time it took her to get her music things out of her case she'd made absolutely no progress. Placing her guitar on the stand, she quickly left the room, suddenly paranoid that she was being watched.

"Mind if I settle here?" She asked Eva, her voice dreamy and somewhat detached as she took a seat on the big comfy chair in the living area. She threw one leg over the armrest, and pulled one foot up onto the cushion - just one of many impractical ways Elpida sat. She cast her eyes around the dorm, trying to look for some clue as to her mysterious note, but seeing nothing. She was painfully aware of her new roommates, and how she wanted to get to know them so that things weren't awkward later, but the letter was firmly lodged at the front of her brain.

How much longer until midnight?

Castor Sternberg
Castor couldn't get the picture of his grandma out of his head.

She'd always been frightening. Taller than him by at least a head, with sharp, almost bird-like features and a tongue like a whip, she'd never taken any nonsense. But she'd softened at the sight of the old school. The image of her grey eyes brimming with tears made the hairs on his neck stand on end. And he couldn't even think of why...

He did his best to shake the image as he struggled his way through the sea of students. His words came out in splintered bursts as he shuffled past his classmates - "Sorry." "Ex...excuse me, please." "Sorry, could I...could I just...could I just get by you, please? Sorry. Thank you." - and he eventually managed to make his way into the Altsoba school building.

He was quick moving up the stairs, wanting more than anything to get into his room and rest. As he climbed the steps, he repeated his room number under his breath. "One, two, nine, five. One, two, nine, five." Every one of his loud footfalls was a number, and this somehow spurred him on to a speedy ascent and a quick arrival on the eleventh graders floor.

Lugging his suitcase down the long hall, he kept on chanting the room number under his breath until he found it. Even though it was his room, he knocked politely before unlocking the door. He gently eased it open, craning his head around the small space he left. "Hello...?" he stuttered, peering around the room as if someone was about to jump out and ambush him. It seemed as if he was the first one there... "hello?" he said a little louder, stepping fully into the dorm. When he got no reply this time, he was content to say that he was alone. He could tell that at least one of his roommates had been in, but he'd evidently left after dumping his things.

He shut and locked the door behind him, not wanting anyone that he didn't know making their way in. However, it only took him a moment to realise that he didn't know much of his roommates: Arthur, Mikhail, and Chad-Bradley. As hilarious as the latter was (the guy had installed a freaking pull-up bar into his doorway, so the door couldn't even bloody close properly) he couldn't put a face to any of the three names.

With a slight sigh, he made his way into his room. If he heard someone come in, then he'd go out and meet them, but just now he wanted to get his stuff unpacked. Once that was done, maybe he'd make a trip down to the astronomy department. More likely, he'd go and try find Petra.
 
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Arthur slowly roamed the hallways of the wing, looking for the right room. 1291... 1293... There! Arthur unlocked and opened the door to the shared rooms, wincing at the whine of the door hinges. That would definitely get on his nerves. He pulled in his luggage, locked the door again, slipped the key into his pocket, and finally turned around. His door was on the far right, placing him right next to both the table and the restrooms. Looking around at the other doors, the names were only vaguely familiar, a wavering blob of a face appearing in his mind for each one. He walked over to his own room, noticing as he walked that sounds of movement were coming out from under Castor's door. Perhaps he would meet a dorm mate sooner than he'd thought.

Entering his room but leaving the door opened, Arthur looked at what would be his home for the next few months. It was simple and unfurnished, with an already-made bed, a nightstand, a chest of drawers for clothing, and a small bookshelf. Arthur went to work right away, putting his clothing away first, then his books, then his other odds and ends. It would be a long stay, and so he had a lot of stuff. But it was worth it as soon as he was able to flop down on his bed, the room already feeling like his own.
 
1220. Stephy couldn't help but gnaw on the tip of her wand, which, by the way, you definitely shouldn't do, as she followed behind the crowd of students to the dormitories. In her second to last year, people would expect Stephy to be much more cool, calm, and confident while walking down the hallways of the school, but she retained the nervous excitement of a ninth grader. She had to pause quite a few times on her trek to her suite just to wipe her sweaty palms on her jeans. It took her longer than needed to get to her room, her sweating palms making it difficult for her to grip onto objects and therefore making it quite easy for her to lose her luggage in the hoard of students pushing to get to their own suites.

Huffing and puffing, she finally made it to suite 1220 (which really wasn't that far from the entrance to the hallway) and tucked her wand into her pocket before going inside. She noticed one the door to one of the rooms was open, but decided to wait until she was settled in before saying hello.

She wheeled her suitcase across the carpet to the door that had her name on it and swung it open. Bland. It was a good thing that she had brought her various posters from the collection "Puff-rogs and Kitty Cats" that was sold by the magical section in Walmart. She also had several posters of Selene Attenborough, a famous Fauna sorceress known for her books on magical creatures, and a few of the hit sorcerer band Five Directions. Who could resist those magical smiles?

Stephy was so busy decorating her room that she didn't notice the golden envelope sitting on her desk, even when she went to go put up some posters above it. While she was hanging her favourite poster, a black kitten with a tortoiseshell puff-rog sitting on it's head, the envelope finally caught her eye, but only because it was reflecting sunlight directly into it.

"What the heck?" She swiped it off the desk and proceeded with hanging up her posters, unaware of the envelope slinking across the ground and up onto her bed.

Once the posters were up, it was time for her menagerie of stuffed animals, which consisted of mostly puff-rogs and cats. The envelope once got in her way once again, and she threw it off of her bed without a second thought. On the ground, the envelope shuffled and hissed, before slinking underneath her bed.

Before long, her stuffed animals were all arranged neatly on her bed and she made her way to the bathroom, unaware of the envelope following after her. It didn't follow her all the way into the bathroom, but stayed outside of the door, curling up off the floor as though it were standing.

Stephy did her business, flushed, and washed her hands, and as soon as she opened the door, noticed the envelope standing there, tapping one of it's corners against the floor as though it were tapping a foot in disappointment. "What do you want from me?" She asked it, throwing her arms up exasperatedly. The envelope fluttered into the air in front of her face, and she stared at it for a good minute. The whole experience was a mix of horrifying and amusing and Stephy debated ripping it up, but curiosity finally got the better of her and she grasped it. She retreated back into her room to open it, and once she did she found herself rather unimpressed by the contents. "That's what you were bugging me about?" She mumbled, "that's so sketchy." She tossed it to the side just as it erupted into flames.

"Might as well go, I guess."
 
"Room 1217, huh..." It hadn't taken Destiny very long to find her room. After all, you just go into the dorm area, enter the girls' side, and boom! It had been tricky her first year, but you got the hang of it once it became a habit of necessity. And let's see...roommates this year were Natalia, Twilight, and Monique. Not bad. They didn't seem like the types to talk too much, which would be much appreciated at night time. Last year, the girls Destiny had roomed with were good friends who would NOT stop talking, no matter what. The only way to get any sleep was to invest in earplugs. She'd fallen out of the habit over the summer, so hopefully it was just a one-time thing.

As she entered her dorm, she noticed Twilight knocking on Natalia's door. Oh, good. That meant Destiny had a bit of alone time. Quickly ducking into her own room and closing the door, Destiny closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Oh, man. Even indoors, Banff's fresh air was prevalent. She opened her eyes, sighing contentedly. Now to just unpack and...

Huh?

There was a letter perched right on her pillow. That was weird...she'd never had anything like that before! Might as well see what it said. Picking the little thing up Destiny sat on the side of her bed, reading the thing. What was this? A party invitation? No...party invitations didn't usually feel so...enchanted. Maybe it had to do with-

"Oh!" Destiny had been so lost in thought that the envelope and letter catching fire caught her by surprise. And just like that, it was gone, but the contents were etched into her mind. The West Wing basement at midnight...no, a minute before midnight. Significant difference, that. And, well...she was going to go. This wasn't something she usually EVER did, but this felt way too significant to pass up.

This good enough for you, Sarah?
 
Aoife Gravely

For only minutes more did she walk with her brother, before veering away. She had no time for him to trap her into being an emotional mess. With her high empathy, the small ordeal could easily mess up her whole morning. Maybe it was a bit cold of her, but she knew her brother understood. It was easy to tell that he didn't want to be here, and she thought it was foolish. This was one of the best things that could have happened to them, going to this school, her mother traveling thousands of miles just to drop them off while growing a child inside of her. She was confused how Callum couldn't be grateful. Being the first born must have been hard for him, his powers coming to light long after Aoife was born and fully aware of her gift. She had always been more powerful and more passionate about her abilities, thriving with them from an early age.

Entering her common room, she looked around to the doors, not recognizing any names, which, all was well with that. Aoife had a hard time making friends, and though she desired to have more, she was lost of the concept of it. Most people were small smiles in the hallway, and maybe a word or two at a passing chance. Getting lost in removing her things, she didn't even notice the envelope floating around the room in an attempt to get her attention. It wasn't until she had moved on to putting her sweaters away that it moved across her preffeiral. With no hesitation, she withdrew her hand, turning on her heels to see the envelope. "What... okay..?" She said to herself, looking around and she reached up to grab it. Her slender fingers slipped through the two pieces of paper to take them apart, removing the letter from it. Removing the glasses that sat on top of her head, she pulled them down to the bridge of her nose to read the letter.

'Come alone.' It read clearly, and for many moments Aoife debated on if she should, decided quickly not to. It wasn't until she went to set the envelope down that it bursted into flames, a loud squeal fell out of her mouth as she dropped to the floor. "Oh bloody hell." She tried to stable herself, her chest heaving with excitement. "Well, I guess I am going after all." She was now curious, convinced that it was probably a prank but something about it called her in.


Callum Gravely

Leaving his mother was a gut-wrenching feeling. He had begged not to go this year, or ever again. He could feel something wasn't right, the small voice inside of the large lad begged to be listened to. He felt like a child who didn't want to go to sleep, or go to school, he wanted to be home. Home felt safe, and home was protected. His sister wouldn't hear him out, and it was easy to tell that she was ready for school. He watched his sister express how much she loved having powers, and it made him resent himself because he didn't. He had never had a good understanding of his powers, and he didn't want to. He used them when necessary, which he found very little scenarios. His mother begged him to have respect for his gift, to understand the woman and men that died to ensure he had it, the tales of the Hunters, and how easy it was to forget that the gift wasn't a right, it was a privilege. But it was one he didn't want. There was always a silent argument going on in the house about it, their family was passive, despite the overwhelming fire gifts in the house, there were very few moments of incivility. He watched his family play there roles together fluidly, with no break in a dynamic and no love lost for one another. His mother, still so young, spent a lot of time sleeping and catching up on things that needed to be done while they were home. He and his sister picked up slack around the house with the boys, cleaning and cooking, it was only fair. That was where his fear was manifesting from, no longer being able to help in a critical time.
Approaching his room he sighed, his bag feeling heavier every second as he pushed through the common area door and soon into his assigned room. Tossing the bag on the beed. he took his seat next to it. Taking out a small mirror, fixing his hair "shape up, mate." he spoke to himself before grabbing his cloak from his bag and pulling it over his head to start the school year officially.
 
Petra Kraus:
"Not at all," Eva agreed, amicably, waving Elpida into her seat. Petra could hear the conversation from her room where the door was ajar. "Sorry about the mess," Eva continued, once more assuring that this was not going to be a common occurrence and it would be cleaned up by the end of the day. She still had one more roommate to explain that, too, but Petra supposed she didn't mind repeating herself.

Debating between going to visit Castor or getting to know her roommates, Petra surveyed her new room. It was much more spacious than the years prior, and it afforded a lot more privacy. Regardless of the living arrangements, she was just thrilled to be back at school and away from home.

Deciding that she'd at least get a look at her other roommate, Petra exited her new room and joined Elpida on the couch. "Hey," she greeted offering a half wave to the other girl. The blonde vaguely recognized the other's face. The good thing about being in nearly every class with the same people for the last few years was she at least got to recognize faces, even if she didn't always know their names. "Are you comfortable sitting like that?" She asked, a mixture of amused and concerned. Eva chuckled, but didn't take her eyes off the potion she was brewing. She was at a critical stage and needed to oversee the color transition. Otherwise, Eva could blow up their entire dorm room... Not that she would be sharing that information with her new roomies.

Natalia Bebnev
The contents of the letter permanently engraved in her mind, Natalia began unpacking. Now that it all had started, she could relax and focus on school. She was relieved to find that it had happened so soon, too. Natalia was tempted to sit and write a letter to her mother, but the mess of all her unpacked things required her immediate attention.

Starting with her clothes, the redhead unzipped her luggage to begin folding and hanging her things when there was a knock on her dorm door. Curious, and slightly annoyed, she went to the door pulling it open with a polite smile on her face. Even as she opened the door, she could hear the main door of their room and someone else entering; there was the last of her roommates, then. "Hello." She returned the awkward greeting careful to keep the questioning note out of her voice, ever so politely, then stood there waiting for the other girl to state her business. She caught the bedroom door across from hers now open with luggage and boxes now inside, and presumed the girl in front of her to be one of her new roommates. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Natalia's raised her brow the only sign of her impatience. Otherwise, she seemed completely at ease, none of her annoyance at being interrupted portraying in her expression.
 
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