(no subject)

[mitm]

Who: Perhaps you!
When: October 20th? ish?
Where: Around the school
What: idk i just got here
Warnings: None? Probably???

[ Hello! There's a new arrival. You can tell he's new because he's not a familiar face, but also he looks absolutely baffled by everything. Understandably! He was supposed to be getting ready for a mission departing from Rhodes, and now he's here? And also he thinks he just saw a creepy ghost, or something??? Help.

Pohl can be found wandering around, but primarily in a few locations:

- just outside the detention room, also the lobby -- very cautiously looking around, while carrying the broken leg of a chair, wielding it like a (very shoddy) knife.

- the cafeteria -- he is showing up at the tail end of a serving time and staring very wide-eyed at the food on offer. He looks reasonably impressed.

- near the dorms -- he's wearing Anzen colors, but he's still sorta scoping things out? He looks kind of lost, but if he makes eye contact with anyone, he'll give an awkward little wave of the hand and a fang-y little smile. Heeeey there, buddy, what's up? ]

Comments

dorms

[praiseful]

[ Unfortunately, the new arrival has the misfortune of crossing paths with a girl coming out of the Yakuyoke dorm who looks to be in an exceptionally foul mood. She has two katanas sheathed at her hip, and fixed to her body with a finely-made harness that suggests it was made just for her (it was).

The gaze she returns seems to be a piercing one, and without haste, she approaches. Pohl, meet another of my small angry sword ladies, but not French this time... ]

You. I haven't seen you around before.

[mitm]

[ Wowee! Maybe he shouldn't have waved! Pohl gives a wide-eyed blink as the girl approaches, only falling back a half-step, though a keen eye might note the way his tail gives a sharp lash behind him in contrast to the easy tone of his voice. ]

Yeah? You think so?

[ His gaze flickers towards those two swords, very aware of whether she's reaching for them or not, and if he might be in their slashing range, before looking back up to meet her gaze. ]

Guess I'm flattered you think I'm that recognizable, haha.

[praiseful]

I know so.

[ The movement behind him draws her attention— another person with a tail. They're always such giveaways, aren't they? It was the same with the Beastmen at home, too.

Anyhow, he'll find that her left hand does indeed rest on the pommel of one katana, but it's an idle sort of position, like there's no other natural place for that hand to be with her katanas hanging at her left hip. The other hand remains at her side. ]

Well, don't be flattered. The student body here isn't very big, and I'm observant!

[ And apparently very confident! ]

[mitm]

[ Oh okay cool, so he's probably not immediately gonna be attacked. He'll still try to stay out of immediately slashing range, though; don't mind the way he's sorta leaning his weight back, staying light on his feet even as he tucks his hands in his pockets to feign casual. ]

Hmmm, is that right?

[ Glancing around briefly. ]

I did think this place seems a little quiet for how big it is ... guess this isn't just some normal school, huh?

[praiseful]

[ Honestly? Good. He should be wary and intimidated by her, because she's very cool and strong and tough, even if he's trying hard to seem casual about it. ]

Hah? Did you miss the part where the school is very haunted? Of course it's not just some normal school!

[mitm]

Oh, no, I noticed that. It's kinda hard to miss.

[ He is not blind to that!!! Although he's probably a little less scared of ghosts than he should be -- living in a place where the main energy source is basically powered by ghosts kinda does that to you. ]

But I mean other than that. I've never been to school before, so I didn't know if it was normal for it to feel this empty.

lobby

[isdf]

[It's time for his usual exploration of the school for any changes—and change, there is, when Yuma rounds the corner to find a tense figure he doesn't recognize in the lobby.]

Hm? You are . . .

[His eyes flit down to the makeshift weapon in Pohl's grasp, calmly assessing the state of the newcomer. Anzen's color.]

[mitm]

[ A stranger! A stranger. There's a stranger here. He'd briefly frozen upon laying eyes on the stranger, immediately going through his entire (sizable) mental roster to see if it's someone he recognizes even tangentially. Which -- nope. He's not sure if that's evidence towards or against his suspicion that this is some sort of extremely vivid, extremely strange stress-dream.

Anyway! After that momentary pause and blink, Pohl straightens up and lowers that desk leg ... though he's still gripping it pale-knuckled tight at his side. And using his best approximation of a very casual voice: ]

... what about me?

[isdf]

[He's suspicious—rightfully so, if he's as much of a fresh face as he appears to be. Yuma raises his head and offers an amicable smile.]

You are newly enrolled, yes? While I have not seen you before, you appear to be a part of Anzen's homeroom.

[mitm]

[ Oh, he hates that. Not the smile -- it's fine -- but the fact that he's immediately been clocked as a 'newcomer,' i.e. 'someone vulnerable.' He only blinks, but his tail gives a slightly sharper sway behind him before he grins. ]

Aah, that obvious, huh? Yeah, it hasn't been long since I got here.

[ Said with a little waggle of that chair leg. ]

Feels nice getting a welcoming committee, though! You guys roll out the red carpet for everyone like this, or do I get to feel special?

[isdf]

[He chuckles.]

Unfortunately, this school lacks a welcoming committee. Perhaps we should do something about that.

[Being overprepared would be better than letting an unsuspecting student fall victim to a malicious entity on their first day. It's something to consider.]

However, that will have to wait. I'm sure you have questions. Let us go somewhere safer to talk.

[mitm]

[ An invitation to a second location ... is he about to get jumped. Is this leading into a mugging attempt. (no)

His tail continues to lash slowly behind him even as he gives a little chirp of laughter: ]

Oh, you know. Just a few. [ Ugh. Experience has taught him that following a stranger to 'somewhere safe' is always a bad idea, but. Having zero information is even worse. Into the fire it is. ] Lead the way then, I guess! You sure sound like you know what you're talking about, so.

cafeteria

[ordimame]

[someone is here for his daily mandated crappy cup of instant coffee. . . which he glances up from idly before returning to loading up with sugar and milk]

[. . .]

[then he pauses]

[and looks up again]

[and points]

-- hey, you!!

[AGGRESSIVE??]

[mitm]

[ Embarrassingly, he gives a tiny jump at that -- just a little stiffening of the spine, tail pinging out straight vertical for a hot second before he looks over, trying to play casual once more (even as his heart's thumping in his throat). ]

Hmm? Me?

[ ??? ]

[ordimame]

Ah--

[at least he seems to realize his SUDDEN AGGRESSION was probably a bit too much, and he holds up both hands, palms facing forward]

-- sorry, did I startle you? You startled me first.

[also wearing a sky blue uniform]

[mitm]

[ He was literally just standing here ... ]

What, why ... [ Oh. ] -- aah, is it your first time seeing a Sarkaz?

[ Since it feels like he's only run into, uh, Aegerians? So far? Maybe they're Liberi but their feathers are just subtler? ]

Don't worry, I'm not one of the scary ones! Though I guess I could just be saying that, huh?

[ordimame]

[SIMPLY]

I don't know what a Sarkaz is. So I guess so?

[a beat]

. . . are you supposed to be scary? Because trust me, dude. At this point I've seen way worse.

[unfortunately,,,,,,]

[mitm]

[ ... oh. Wow.

There's a pause here as Pohl blinks, eyes wide -- before he gives a bright chirp of laughter. ]

Ahaha! Don't worry about it, then! [ Wild. Somebody who doesn't know what a Sarkaz is, and doesn't seem to care. Well, he's not in any rush to change that if he doesn't need to. ] If you don't think I'm scary, then it's fine.

[ And before Edamura can inquire further about that -- ]

By the way -- you seem like you're more familiar with this place. [ Since he still has that cup of coffee and all. Pohl points towards the food on offer. ] What's the system here?

Dorms

[tailsofwoe]

[ A woman in a matching light blue uniform blinks as if surprised to see him there, then meets that greeting with a wave and an opaque smile of her own. ]

Ah, so we are still getting people.

[mitm]

[ The matching uniforms don't go unnoticed. So they're like, on the same team or something, right? ]

Haha, sounds like it's kind of a rare thing, yeah? People showing up. Since it sure feels like everyone's taking notice of lil ol' me. [ Which he hates!!! ] Did everyone else all get to show up at once or something?

[tailsofwoe]

The majority, yes, though not all of us. I hope you don't feel excluded.

[mitm]

[ He does, but -- ] Oh, that's nothing to worry about.

[ Huh. 'Not all.' That'd explain why she said 'still.' ]

Guess that'd explain why people here seem pretty used to things. Have you been here long?

[tailsofwoe]

Three months, at this point, and we don't appear much closer to finding a way out than when we first arrived. Not reassuring to hear, I imagine, but I see no use in sugar-coating the harsh reality.

[ A small, helpless shrug of her shoulders. ]

Cafeteria

[candlestick]

[ Zuo Le himself is mostly done eating by the time Pohl shows up, and realizes pretty quickly this is not a face he's seen around here before. While he may not have had cause to talk to every single person who is in Ghost School with him, this boy seems like he's on his own while still in the wondering where the hell he is phase of things.

So he'll get up to both bus his own tray, and also helpfully check on the new arrival. Offering a friendly(ish, if not still a little tight) smile. ]

It may not be the greatest food you ever had, but you're welcome to take as much of it as you like.

[mitm]

[ That smile is only met with a blink at first, before Pohl glances the stranger over -- noting those ears and that tail. Savra, maybe? Or Phidia? It's a strange sensation, feeling both relieved and wary at the same time -- and Pohl hurries to don his best, casual grin. ]

Yeah? I dunno, it all smells pretty good to me!

[ And he's not lying, either. Sure, the stuff at Rhodes was probably better, but simply by virtue of variety, this place is miles better than his usual meal of potatoes and hard bread. Pohl patters a few steps closer to the serving line, though his attention is still mostly directed at Zuo Le. ]

You're sure none of it's poisoned or anything, though? It almost sounds too good to be true, being fed for free with no effort.