(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.

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]

[ 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.

[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?

[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! ]

[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.

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??]

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]

[ 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?

[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.

[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?

[ ??? ]

[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?

[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?

[tailsofwoe]

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

[isdf]

[He turns around partway with a shoulder pointed at Pohl to gesture at the hall behind him.]

The dormitories are this way. The entities around the school won't follow us there. You'll have a place to stay as well.

[Trusting that Pohl will follow, Yuma begins walking. Once they're reasonably close, he'll add:] You may call me Mamoru. Have you chosen a name for yourself yet?

[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]

[ 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?

[mitm]

[ He does follow along, though he keeps a few paces distance between them; a keen eye might also note that he's still keeping ahold of that broken chair leg as well. Obviously cautious, even if his tone of voice is pretty light. ]

Oh. Right, gotta come up with one of those ... [ Hmmm. ] Call me Flint. Good to meet you, Mamoru.

[ Sounds like a Higashi name ... ? ]

Mind if I ask how many people're here? Since it sounds like you've got a system all set up.

[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?

[isdf]

Nice to meet you, Flint.

[Other than their own fists and feet, they didn't have anything to wield offensively upon their initial arrival. It's smart to use what they can.

Anyway, the way ahead is relatively short. Fortunately, there are no lurking ghosts in sight as of now.]

With you, there are approximately 31 of us across seven homerooms, as well as 19 graduates with an overlap of one.

[ordimame]

[. . . stares for just a moment too long. a moment that makes it clear he did not miss that sudden change in subject, even though he moves easily with the flow of the conversation]

The "system?"

[glances at the food, then back to his new companion]

Help yourself, I guess. The cafeteria food is kind of mid, so if you want something better you can find raw ingredients in the kitchen.

[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. ]