INTRO MINGLE

[whimsicalism]

WELCOME IN

ORIENTATION DAY

(CW: Slight undertones of experiences of unreality.)

It’s a bright Monday afternoon at the Academy. If the sun happened to be visible, it would certainly be shining. The new semester that everyone has been waiting for is about to begin!

All students wake up at exactly the same time–not that you’re aware of this. Even those who don’t normally sleep must have given into slumber at some point; they, too, will jolt awake with the strangest sensation that someone was just whispering in their ears. The beds that you’ll find yourself in are small and unfamiliar, and you wake up wearing a uniform that you don’t recognize even though it fits you like a glove. A red book with black cardstock lining the inner cover sits on each dorm nightstand. Opening the book reveals a strange code of conduct. The following pages list, in alphabetical order, all of the students.

Beyond the handbook and a change of familiar clothes in the closet, there’s little personalization to the rooms, and they lack most homey comforts. As unusual as these surroundings may seem, it’s impossible to shake the subtle, lingering excitement: It’s the first day of school! What a delightful occasion. Shouldn’t everyone want to make the most of the year? The subtle, unshakeable desire to achieve sits in the back of every mind like the story of a happy dream. Perhaps you brush your hair or wash your teeth before going on with your splendid day. Your reflection in your bathroom mirror looks a little off, did you forget to cut your hair before the big day? Perhaps you realize that your nails or claws have been trimmed recently. A little odd but you must have been excited for a brand new school year.

The world outside the dorm room holds a few more answers, but most things are still shrouded in mystery. Today, it seems that some rooms are still locked up tight from summer vacation. Beside the dormitory and hallways, only the cafeteria, kitchen, gym, playground, school store, and A/V room are accessible. Outside the cafeteria, a digital sign titled DAILY SCHEDULE offers little structure, save for one afternoon event: 5PM - PREFECT’S ORIENTATION - AUDITORIUM. There’s a lot of business to take care of on the first day of school, after all. No one can just be expected to start learning without the proper preparation.

With some time to kill before the promised orientation takes place–and, according to that rulebook, everyone is expected to attend–students have only each other and the various robot sheep for company. With such a small class, perhaps working together will bring you newfound and long-lasting partnerships. The robotic staff seem polite, at least, if a bit confused at the sudden flurry of non-scheduled activities.

How will you spend your first day before classes begin?

OOC NOTES

Welcome to the IC intro mingle for Round 2! Your characters have the afternoon to meet one another, get lunch at the school cafeteria, review their student handbooks, harass the Little Brother robots, and prepare for the upcoming school semester in this post. As promised, the Prefect will meet everyone in the auditorium at 5pm and will post their own introductory comment at that time (Eastern).

While we're sure that some people are dying to get a head start on investigating all of the mysteries of the school (we're excited to reveal them), please hold your investigation comment ideas until the weekly post goes up tomorrow. As all ground floor locations should be open for exploration at that time, we invite everyone to scratch all of your investigation itches on tomorrow's post at noon (also Eastern)! In lieu of investigation threads today, characters may speak to/question/accost the Little Brothers, who have an NPC thread down below.

Thank you, and have fun!

Comments

[weirdlymagical]

[Luz, I'm so happy I had you as a big sister.

Luz Noceda jolts awake in a bed she doesn't recognize... and tumbles right out of it. No, no. She has to hurry. She has to stop King before... Before...

Where is she? Why is she excited about school at a time like this?

Nothing about the dorm room she wakes up in is familiar, and her anxiety about it only grows as she finds the student handbook and skims its pages. Not to mention the uniform she can't remember putting on - and are those her clothes in the closet?

The door to room 18 opens slightly later than most - there was quite a bit of sitting and internalizing - before Luz steps out. She's hesitant, but at least she's out of that uniform and back in something familiar.

Breathe in, out, step forward. Immediately bump into someone - literally. She's not exactly looking where she's going.]

Sorry, I'm- [looking at someone completely new.] Uhhh... Lost. Very lost.

[Later, she's come across the reception. It's closed, but that's not gonna stop Luz from trying to get in.

Or it will. She'll still pound on the entrance.]

Hey! Let me in! Whatever this is, it's not funny!

1/2

[shinedsobright]

[Fret doesn't seem angry about being bumped into. Confused, maybe? He blinks at her, staring a bit while she makes her apologies]

[shinedsobright]

[Then there's kind of a lightbulb moment as the words sink in, and then all of his thoughts hit him at once.]

Uh, no, no, it's cool! Totally cool. You can even do it again if you want. Nnnnooot that you probably do, cause that'd be kinda weird, but hey! These things happen when you're alive!

[There's a burst of excitement in that last note. That was too much sincerity. Let's move on-]

Anyway, I'm Tosai Furesawa, but everyone calls me Fret! Who're you, other than Lost?

[weirdlymagical]

Uhhh... Okay? So, I'm alive.

[Said as if she wasn't entirely sure for a bit.]

Good. Cool. Uhh, prrrobably not going to run into you again if that's cool.

[She's so used to being awkward that she barely even acknowledges his over-sincerity. She's practically rambling herself.]

Oh, I'm Luz - Luz Noceda. [Letting the name sink in...] Fret, huh? That's kind of a funny name. I didn't think there was anyone on the Boiling Isles with a Japanese naming convention.

[shinedsobright]

Well if you're not then I feel pretty silly... [He's clearly not sure either. But he's at least used to dead people knowing not to bump into other dead people.]

I know my name's kinda lame, that's why I go with the nickname! But I mean, I'm from Shibuya, so there are more Japanese people than wherever this is. I mean it doesn't look like an island or boiling to me?

[weirdlymagical]

Well, I feel silly a lot of the time too.

[It's fine. She's a weirdo. You ever see her not wearing this jacket?<]

Shibuya? But that's... [A Japanese thing?? And, considering that, Luz takes a closer look at Fret, squinting, squinting harder...]

...Your ears aren't pointy. [Gasp!] You're a human!

Outside Receoption

[violence_ensues]

[Here comes a blue adorable bat fluttering into view!]

...What are you doing?

1/2

[weirdlymagical]

Ábrete estúpido-

[She's just worked up enough to keep going, when the most adorable thing she has ever seen flutters into her periphery. Needless to say, she gasps.]

¡Eres el murciélago más adorable que he visto!

2/2

[weirdlymagical]

[-Wait! A thought! If this place has adorable bat monsters, than maybe...]

Oh! Uh, trying to get into the reception to... ask for help with... [She makes big swooping gestures with her arms.] Everything?

You wouldn't happen to know where I am on the Boiling Isles, would you, little guy?

[violence_ensues]

What's the Boiling Isles? I'm from Pure Heart Valley.

[weirdlymagical]

"Pure Heart Valley"?

[That... catches her.]

Well, that is definitely nowhere near Bonesborough... You don't live in on the body of a massive, decaying Titan, do you?

[violence_ensues]

Not that I know of. Unless you count the Ruby Pure Heart. It's a giant gem that powers the town.

Room 18

[cellpreservation]

Whoa!

[Why are girls bumping into him today?? But his reflexes are quick and it's not as much of an impact as it could have been, so he's able to get out of her way easily enough.]

Ugh... Don't worry about it. Right now, I think everyone's just looking for a way out.

[weirdlymagical]

Great! Because so am I!

[She's practically jogging in place, like she's building up momentum to rush to wherever the exit is.]

Has anyone found it yet?

[cellpreservation]

If they did, do you think I'd be here talking to you? Plus, the only outdoor part of the school is surrounded by a fence and a cliff.

[weirdlymagical]

[...The jogging slows, stumbling a bit.]

Good point.

...But, hey! E-even if there's a fence, there's still ways to get out!

[cellpreservation]

Maybe, or maybe not. We'll have to look around more to see if there's anything we can actually do.

[keyringwitness]

[Natural clumsiness plus partial visual obscuration because of her bangs leads to Yasu, likewise, not seeing Luz coming despite being right in front of her. She's also so small that she's knocked on her back even with the contact being so sparing.]

Ah! M- My apologies! [She struggles back to her feet and bows.] I can show you around if you'd... like...

[A pause, as she realizes that her servantly instincts did her no favors in this circumstance.]

...except I don't know where we are either.

[weirdlymagical]

Weh!

[Oh no! A kid! Luz's panic is temporarily squashed by the Big Sister Energy she's come to garner.]

No, no, it's my fault. [She helps Yasu up, if she's allowed.] I-I woke up here, and I don't know why I'm here, so I was in a hurry to get out, and...

[...Oh.]

Wait, you're lost, too?

[keyringwitness]

[If the topic of conversation lingers on the collision, the apologies will turn into an endless feedback loop, so Yasu reluctantly decides to let Luz win this round and moves on.]

Probably? I don't recognize this place at all... unless the director remodeled the entire orphanage while I was sleeping, but that's, um, silly.

[weirdlymagical]

Director? Orphanage?

[You can almost see the "???" swirling around Luz's head.]

That would be silly.... but not impossible... Is this director dangerous?

bump

[gotnothing]

[ Oh, a girl like? Her own age?? Fucking wild??? ]

Dude, same. Trust me, if I had my pick of a place to be, "creepy private school full of literal sheeple" is one of the last options on the list, right between "sewer exhaust vent" and "pit of teeth and human tongues."

[weirdlymagical]

[There's so many children here, it's unreal. Luz is happy to find another teen.]

Ugh. Don't remind me of pits of teeth and tongues. The last thing I want right now is to relive the detention pit at Hexside.

[...] Ooohh. "Sheeple". I get it now.

[gotnothing]

[ SO MANY CHILDREN..... ]

Whoah. Hardcore.

[ But like... not different enough from some of the things she heard about Hammerlock and Jakobs' wedding for her to think too much of it, sometimes there's just a flesh pit. ]

But yeah, I sorta assumed it was intentional. You know, on account of school being full of them.

[weirdlymagical]

[If you think Luz would pass up a wedding on a frozen lovecraftian ice world, you'd be dead wrong.]

Eh, it's not that hardcore. Heh. You should see - [No!! She shakes her head.] Wait! Gotta focus. I gotta get home! And I can NOT stand going to school at a time like this!