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

[temmapathy]

That's breaking so many laws! Are you the only kid working there?

[keyringwitness]

Y- Yes... everyone else is at least, um, fifteen, I don't know why I was singled out...

[oh boy time to flash back to all those horrid memories of getting bullied for being tiny]

[temmapathy]

Well, that's still illegal either way! Who let them do that?

[keyringwitness]

Um... nobody at home seemed to have a problem with it, and, and the family was p- pretty rich, so...

[Capitalism: the root of all evil.]

[temmapathy]

[Oh. Rich people.]

Well, it shouldn't be like that! They could put that money to so much better use than breaking the law like this!

[keyringwitness]

...I mean, they d- do fund the orphanage that, um, took me in.

[And then funnel the most promising children into their servant program. It's fine.]

[temmapathy]

That doesn't make it okay! Did they bribe the orphanage to send you there?

[keyringwitness]

No, it was, um, an official part of their program... I was the youngest one to ever get sent to the mansion, though.

[temmapathy]

[That is even MORE CONCERNING.]

Well, even if the orphanage agreed, it's still not legal! I'm pretty sure even your actual parents couldn't make you do that much work!

[keyringwitness]

[Yasu shrinks back at that "actual parents" comment. She could come up with another lackluster defense of the orphanage, but... for some reason, that cuts deep.

(The closest things she had to parents were the ones who kept encouraging her to do her best at work, after all.)]

[temmapathy]

[...oh, did she say something wrong? Emma fidgets, rubbing her hands together before quickly changing the topic.]

Anyways, you don't have to do that here! We can all work together on cleaning if we have to!

[keyringwitness]

R- Really? You'd do that for me?

[Someone else volunteering to help Yasu with her work seems so preposterous that even she has trouble believing it.]

[temmapathy]

Of course! Everyone should do their part, after all!

[She might not have been able to hear their teacher singing the Clean-up Song, but she's very into the philosophy there.]

[keyringwitness]

Thank you, miss, uh...

[Finally, a chore buddy! Not that that's going to stop Yasu from doing most of the chores anyways out of fear that she's going to get yelled at for slacking off, but it's the spirit of the thing that counts.

...wait a minute.]

I, um, don't think I ever got your name?

[temmapathy]

E-M-M-A B-A-N-K-S. [She spells it out for convenience.] But just my first name is fine!

wrap?

[keyringwitness]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Emma. [Curtsey!]

[temmapathy]

It's nice to meet you too! [After a pause, Emma does her best to curtsy back.]