Milford-Gaudier Academy [IC, OPEN, Pt. I]

[Chewion]

Ryan Carter
School Quad

Ryan smiled and nodded before saying “New York Times best selling author, successful musician, and world renowned journalist. I can see it.” Pausing for a moment he added in “So where are you from? You’re definitely not a southern girl or a west coaster so I’m assuming east coast?”

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

Ernest Ingerstadt

Ernest attempted to approach Yixuan and Erin, putting down his violin and placing it back in his case in order not to arouse suspicion. His tight-lipped stance and his suit made him look like some sort of young teacher, but then, after a few seconds of quietly clinching and attempting to relax, his expression moved to a more tranquil state. His bright blond hair glowed in the sunlight, and his shiny blue eyes gleamed like glass, and as his mouth opened, an amicable impression appeared on him. "Hello. My name is Ernest. How are you?" he asked kindly, his German accent clear and obvious, masked behind a warm and deep voice. He smiled to them, attempting to make friends. He wasn't too good at it, but never of a lack of effort.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

---

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

---

The music began to play, the lyrics of J. Cole overtaking his ears and filling him with energy, albeit not enough to get him to speak to anyone else as he finished his trek, arriving to the dorms. He emitted a small sigh, already his mind considering how he could open the door with the suitcases in tow. Settling on a strategy, he let go of his luggage and opened the door, before quickly retreating to lift one of the two dark blue suitcases in front of the door, allowing it to stay open. A small pleased smile crossed his face before he moved the other through the narrow gap, taking the one holding the door next. Their rolling resonated on the floor of the building, as Luke looked over the walls to find his room. He was not too particular with who he roomed with, having decided last year and confirming this past summer that he could be friends with all.

He walked at a slow pace, arriving to his room and opening it with little hassle. Both other beds were empty bar the regular white mattresses. Not minding it too much but with his preferences set, he moved his stuff towards the bed near the window. He always enjoyed a nice view and the sun was the perfect way to wake up, allowing all the rays to touch your face and pry your eyelids open. He considering unpacking, settling on just removing the additional covers he had brought with himself from Spain. With a quick unzip, Luke lifted the heavy top of the suitcase, taking out the neatly folded covers and blankets, quickly making his bed. A yawn escaped him, and he briefly considering napping before deciding there were other things to do.

Luke reached into the suitcase again, removing a set of clothing. Without losing a second, he took off his windbreaker, white tee, and sweatpants, opting for the new attire he selected. He placed an athletic teal long sleeve shirt, putting on black skinny jeans, and the windbreaker back on. His white shoes came back on, as he left the one suitcase open and the other alongside the bed upright. The door slammed as he left the room, heading towards the quad once more. Who he would encounter was a thought that briefly ran across his mind before he pushed it away. He was not in a particularly social mood but if he wanted to branch out more, this was the way. So as he arrived, this time having taken the shortest route, he scanned the clearing.

He saw no one of interest, moving along the path to sit on a bench. His phone found itself in his hands, primarily out of boredom and his less extroverted sentiments winning the short-lived mental combat. He opened a note, jotting down some random notes about classes, school stuff, and just his general feelings. It had been an almost daily ritual, a way to allow his mind to get a break and to comprehend the day’s events. He hated comparing it to a journal but it seemed to take on that semblance. But it was what it was. His fingers moved fast, words appearing on the white background of the Notes app, words like love...romance...new...changes...president...study.

[Vaquas]

Liam Blackwell

---

Another year at Milford-Gaudier. The time that Liam had spent on the premises of this old and prestigious institution had proven to be good for him, the positive experiences attributed to classmates and teachers resulting in a feeling of contentment being back on campus again. Liam did not expect High School to be a highlight of his life, if it were he would consider himself a failed person, but he would be lying if he said he did not enjoy it to some serious degree.

The summer had been kind to him. He'd had a fling, about a month and a half, it ended with some choice words but at this point, he was glad it had. Aunt Sarah had been kind enough to invite her on her yearly Cruise, an experience that he'd remember for a while, not least because of the guy down the hall to the left through the first door and the breathtaking shores of Italy asking to be explored. There was something to be said about New York too, visiting the Statue of Liberty again and taking in the skyline. All this had been conducive to his writing, pieces filling up the leather journal he'd received a few months prior as a gift and even more ideas flowing into separate notes. He hadn't had as much contact with friends as he would have liked, but that had helped him to do a little bit of unplugging from social media too. At orientation, he had met some new people that would fill the void of those who had drifted away, and that was fine by him.

Now, Liam walked into the Quad, scanning the bustle of people, picking out familiar faces and shooting out smiles and waves as it was appropriate. Booths set up advertising school clubs made it clear to him exactly where he needed to be, his pace quickening and pen flashing decisively as he made his mark on several sheets of Paper. No point in dropping anything this year, he was more than sure he would be able to handle the responsibilities that each club represented. He himself had two organizations to represent, and the one that was getting more traffic, he swung by.

Sliding behind the table belonging to The Bluebird Sentinel, the school newspaper, Liam relieved his cohort from the responsibility of answering the questions of the mob and took a seat, preparing to do just that himself. Checking his watch to verify the time, he waited for eager applicants and seasoned veterans alike to approach.

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

---

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

---

He lifted his head, noticing that eyes had fallen onto him. Scanning the quad, he saw an underclassman looking at him. His name did not seem to be within the depths of Luka's mind but the face was familiar, then it struck. It was another gay guy, a sophomore he believed, known for his escapades of all sorts. Luka snorted and withheld a laugh, his realization that he might be the object of someone's attention was a silly observation, or perhaps the right one. He chose to ignore it this time. Lifting himself from the bench as two began to sit down on the bench, muttering something along the lines that it was okay. His eyes diverted to the line up of booths for school clubs, hardly any major importance to him as he knew their leaders of those he was a part of already presumed his participation.

Nonetheless, he crossed the quad to examine them, smiling a couple times but remaining on the path. His phone remained in his hand, vibrating a couple times before he glanced down on it.

Shoot, forgot to text Mom.

His fingers moved fast as he sent a short paragraph to his parents that he had in fact arrived at the school safely. His feet guided him, so as he finished, he appeared to be in front of the school's paper. He saw several faces but one stood out and with a couple steps, moved to the booth's left to slip between two underclassmen.

"Is that the Liam Blackwell?"

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Quad
Darren Noble
(*retcon rename of character, formerly called 'Blake Peterson'*)

Both hands remaining in his pockets throughout the immediate exchange, Darren grinned warmly to his roommate, then sticking out a hand toward Jimmy with a slight nod. "Yeah, Noble." Darren remarked, flashing his full set of shining teeth. Darren got glimpse of a moth fluttering onto his shoulder, resting atop of his navy blue v-neck shirt, and opting to blow it away rather than swatting at it with his hand. Looking back toward Jimmy, Darren dusted off his shirt.

"Um, sorry that I didn't get to say hello earlier, Jimmy. I really wish I were able to meet you earlier. I've just, you know, been at practice all morning long." Darren explained, soon stashing his hands back into his pockets.

"Say, where you from anyway? Take it you're not from Jersey." He added with a chuckle.

[Vaquas]

---

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

---

He lifted his head, noticing that eyes had fallen onto him. Scanning the quad, he saw an underclassman looking at him. His name did not seem to be within the depths of Luka's mind but the face was familiar, then it struck. It was another gay guy, a sophomore he believed, known for his escapades of all sorts. Luka snorted and withheld a laugh, his realization that he might be the object of someone's attention was a silly observation, or perhaps the right one. He chose to ignore it this time. Lifting himself from the bench as two began to sit down on the bench, muttering something along the lines that it was okay. His eyes diverted to the line up of booths for school clubs, hardly any major importance to him as he knew their leaders of those he was a part of already presumed his participation.

Nonetheless, he crossed the quad to examine them, smiling a couple times but remaining on the path. His phone remained in his hand, vibrating a couple times before he glanced down on it.

Shoot, forgot to text Mom.

His fingers moved fast as he sent a short paragraph to his parents that he had in fact arrived at the school safely. His feet guided him, so as he finished, he appeared to be in front of the school's paper. He saw several faces but one stood out and with a couple steps, moved to the booth's left to slip between two underclassmen.

"Is that the Liam Blackwell?"

Liam Blackwell

"The very same." he said, his attention being grabbed by the familiar voice and a genuine smile breaking out once he matched it to a face. Luka was a good friend, they'd bonded over some shared interests in Sophmore year and now they'd be rooming together. He noted a slight tan and wondered if he'd been working outside or just laying propped up on a beach for the past month. "Its nice to see you Luka, how was summer? I don't imagine you did anything too exciting in, you know Spain." he remarked sarcastically. "In seriousness though, I hope you've been having a good time, I didn't call as often as I should have."

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Arching an eyebrow, Sophia let out a smirk toward the tail-end of Ryan's commentary, turning her complete body toward him, pausing momentarily once they are within a couple dozen of feet within the newspaper table displays, a rather large crowd of intrigued spectators lining up and walking around the table, eyeing several of the previous publications the paper had published throughout the year prior. The Bluebird Sentinel was certainly an impressive student newspaper, considering its' relative talent, with thorough interviews and opinion pieces, reviews of various events across town and even across the river in New York City.

"Woah now, I really think you need to calm your expectations, Ryan." Sophia commented with a playful smile, lightly jabbing him with her elbow at his arm, glancing at his shoulder as she did, looking back up to his eyes shortly after the jesting gesture. Part of her secretly did love the idea of engaging in journalism, especially if it means working for a prestigious paper as that of the New York Times. Thus, she quickly glances away to hide her pinking, blushing cheeks at the thought of, someday, arising to such a rank through a prolific and rewarding career. In spite of the fact she decided to play it off so humbly.

Sophia kept walking, biting her lip as looked around for an opening within the crowds to get to the Bluebird Sentinel table, yet quickly snapping around once she realized she left Ryan hanging on a question he asked a couple seconds ago. "And, Connecticut!" She answered back, nodding with a grin. "What about you? Where are you from?" Sophia asked, working around the crowd as she sidles up to the table, finally catching glimpse of the material, and patiently waiting her turn to make eye contact with one of the people taking questions and interest from students, like herself, though while also keeping an ear open to listen for Ryan's answer.

[Chewion]

Ryan Carter
School Quad

Ryan smiled at her reaction. Quickly replying he said "Well I was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia. My father was a former KGB agent and my mother was a Soviet Army administrative administrator. We had to flee Russia after Putin got wind that my father, who he had served with in East Germany, was going to compromise an aspect of his past."

Pausing for a moment Ryan couldn't help but have a large smile spread across his face. Laughing he said "I'm joking. I was born in Saint Petersburg, Florida but since my parents are both airforce I have lived all over the US. Right now my parents are stationed at Dover Airforce base in Delaware."

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

As Sophia looked around the table, noting many of the fixtures lined up across it, and samples of the literature students had previously published on the paper, both of long ago and of recent, Sophia kept an ear trained toward Ryan, listening at him initially while looking over the material, though turning to look directly at him with a perplexed look, surprised toward the end - with a clear facial expression that betrayed her internal questionings of how to react to the colorful story.

Sophia glared at Ryan, in stark disbelief, and then laughed it off once Ryan made it even more patently obvious he was joking, admitting as such, before proceeding to tell the tale of his actual origins. "I vaguely remember you saying something about the military, back at orientation, now that I think about it." She says, looking down at a particular article to begin skimming over it, setting it back down after a short once-over look, and glancing back to Ryan. "So, how did you end up... here?"

[Chewion]

Ryan Carter
School Quad

Ryan smiled saying "Well, my parents wanted to give my sister and I at least some stability so they sent us here since we can stay no matter if they get sent to Alaska or Guam or Timbuktu." Looking at her reading the papers he said "What do you want to write about for the paper? I might join to cover politics. I'm not that great of a writer but maybe hanging out with you will rub some of your greatness off on me." ending with a cheeky smile and wink.

[Corrian]

Claudia Steinfeld

After meeting up with some of her friends, Claudia had parted ways with them to get herself back into the groove of some things from last year, and right now, that was specifically to reinstate herself in the school newspaper. She was always big into getting involved in school activities, and this was one that she had done last year, and would like to continue this year. With her habit of being a bit of a workaholic, though, just like her parents were, she did have a habit of overloading herself a little, and this year would likely be no exception with her overloading herself on work. And it wasn't like after high school it was about to stop, either. That is where the real fun would hopefully begin.

Once the line would subside for newspaper-related sign-ups and such, she would come up to the table and smile, as she expected some from last year would immediately recognize her, even if her contributions last year were minimal. They all typically got along well, or well enough, after all, so they all generally knew each other on some level.

"Good to see you all again" She started to say to the ones that she remembered, and were continuing, who had shown up so far and presumably were hanging around. "I would like to sign up again this year" She continued, smiling warmly, looking happy. She had a good feeling about this year already, and she didn't quite know why, but she was rolling with it.

[Elejamie]

Erin Sarenda

"No worries, bro." Erin said, smiling back at him. It was partially a relieved smile since he was alright with taking the map from her and because he seemed to be a little bit calmer around her. He was still a little bit shaky and awkward, yes, but he didn't seem to be that afraid of her now. He then stammered something about it not starting for a while and, since it's not that far from them, they don't need to go just yet. He then asked what she was called, something that she was more than happy to answer, especially since he gave his name and where he was from. "That's sweet as." She said before getting into her answer to his question. "I'm Erin, from Auckland all the way down in New Zealand. Those little islands not that far east of Australia."

Just shortly after she finished her sentence, another person approached them. It turned out to be Ernest, another newcomer, who greeted them, giving them his name and asked them how they were. Erin turned around to face. Although there was a smile, Erin had a feeling that that he wasn't exactly that comfortable with his surroundings or even talking to people. "Wow, I'm attracting all the awkward guys!" Erin thought to herself, not out of malice as she didn't mind being in the presence of the two gentlemen but rather trying to make an observation and figuring out the best way to make them both feel comfortable. Granted, she wasn't the best at it due to her own internal fears but they both seemed friendly enough so it was worth a shot calming them both down. She then spoke to the newcomer, paying a slight bit of attention to his German accent. "Ah, guten Morgen, mein Freund.*" Erin said in German, hoping that she didn't mangle anything and that he would understand her despite the accent, before shaking her head and speaking again in English, primarily so that Yixuan can chip in. "Sorry, good morning. I'm Erin and this is Yixuan. I'm alright thanks and he's nervous as but, er, he'll be right. How are you doing?"

*"Ah, good morning, my friend."

---

Peter Kowalski

Not long after he entered the school, Peter reached his room, which wasn't that difficult since he managed to avoid getting blocked by people or anything like that. When he entered the room he noticed that, while he was the only one there, one of his roommates had already gotten his stuff already sorted out and, presumably, claimed one of the beds. So he decided to claim another bed, putting his stuff down on the bed. Realising that there was plenty of time before the assembly started, he figured that he might as well get his stuff sorted and put away. He decided not to listen to some music while he was doing it, mainly so he could keep an ear out for people, whether they be his fellow dormmates, any of his neighbours or just someone who wondered into the boys' dorms. Granted he wasn't exactly the most conversational person and would usually wait for the other person to start talking but he didn't want to be rude and ignore them, especially since he hasn't even met anyone at the school other than a few members of staff.

Once he got all of his stuff put away all neat and tidy, he realised he still had a bit of time left before the assembly started, so he decided that he might as well use that time to head to the library and get a book or two out. After all, he wasn't sure if the assembly was going to be a loud affair to get everyone pumped up for the upcoming sports seasons or just an informative affair that would just let them know what they were in for for the year, so he figured he might as well get a book out if it turns out to be the former. So, trying his best to remember where the library was, he took his iPod out of jacket pocket, followed by his aux cord from earlier. Realising he took the wrong thing out by mistake, he opened up a drawer closest to his bed and dumped it in, closing it after him. He then took out his earphones, which is what he intended to take out, then plugged them into the iPod. Scrolling through it, he eventually decided on a random song and then made his way down to where he wanted to go.

By the time he made it to the library, at which point his third and final roommate had presumably arrived and claimed the last remaining bed, he went in and looked around. He let out a small smile, not only realising that he had a quiet place to go to whenever things were getting hectic for him but also that he had arrived at some point during the Summer to get his library card set up. Now he can take books out of the library just in case he needs to read them elsewhere, whether it be homework or to pass the time. Doubly handy since he keeps it in his wallet, which just makes it more convenient. Looking around, he made it to the fictional books section. However, instead of going down the aisles, he stopped to think about what book he should check out. Should he get Fahrenheit 451, which might come in handy later? Or should he try and see if there was another book that he felt could describe his stay here? Decisions, decisions...

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

---

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

---

"You're fine, don't sweat it."

A bright smile glowed from Luka's face, as he placed his hands on the booth table, moving them up and down in a wave pattern.

"Not too much, just Europe."

He flashed another grin before emitting a short chuckle.

"Got to explore around a bit more, on my own this time around with my parents. Fun, we'll definitely have to catch up. What about you?"

His hand fiddled with a pen on the table, his eyes settling on Liam's face before he looked him over. Hmmm....

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

A half-smile, with her attention directed toward a small group of male students tossing a frisbee around a small grassy clearing of the quad, Sophia shook her head with uncertainty while dwelling deeply on the thought of her choice on publications.

"I--I don't really know." She flatly stated, feeling someone lightly bumping up against her as they, too, were surveying over the literature displayed across the table. Sophia glanced, and shuffled slightly closer toward Ryan, mouthing an apology to the female student for hogging the space, realigning her focus toward Ryan.

"Current events? Maybe write things about what's happening on campus, or around the area. Opinion pieces of local places, like what I think of the food at this restaurant or about this thing to do across the river in New York City."

Exhaling, pausing momentarily to collect her thoughts, and mindlessly circling with her hands in gesture in silence. "I don't know, really. But I think that we would be assigned stories anyway, right?"

[Phoenix2012]

Lawrence Li
Li had awoken to the sound of early morning dog walkers. After a quick shower, Li prepared his usual cup of Earl Grey as he looked out onto the hotel balcony as the lazy sun cast its tree sheltered rays on the brickwork. This was going to be the turning point he so desperately needed, he told himself. Finally, he would escape from under his brother's shadow, from always being not good enough. Of course, it was easier said than done, but today would be the first step of his journey.

Dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a red hoodie, he checked out of the hotel that he had been staying in. The short walk to the rental car was met by the chirping of birds in the already brisk air of early fall. The GPS guided him during the short drive to the school, where he was met by several red bricked buildings adorned with white trim. Thankfully, parking wasn't too difficult to find, even with the masses of parents bidding their children their farewells.

Thankful that he had packed lightly, Li took the luggage out of the trunk in search of the dorms. Seeing the other families gave Li a sense of longing, for belonging. He shook his head and quickly dismissed the thought- he was here to get away from all that, and there would be no time to linger in the past. Walking up to a school volunteer, he asked for directions to the dorms and politely muttered a 'thank you' after being pointed in the right direction.

Room 3 was spacious enough, even thought it wasn't exactly luxurious. There was no sign of his roommates other than some books, so Li picked the bed by the window and began unpacking, figuring that he would introduce himself at a later time. He didn't have much to organize, in part because he would rather avoid lugging things around if he could help it, and in part because he had gone all this way to get away from his previous life.

His schedule said that there was an assembly due in half an hour, and not being familiar with the campus layout, he decided that it was better to go early than risk being late. Walking at a leisurely pace to take in the sights of his new home for the next two years, he nodded and greeted several people along the way, and received a generally warm welcome by staff and students alike. Following other students, he made his way to the quad, and took a few minutes to scan the tables of exhibits as he continued milling around...

[Vaquas]

Liam Blackwell
School Quad

"Italy with Aunt Sarah, she took me with her on the cruise this year, it was something. There's a lot to be said about the Mediterranean, a lot of history and passion that flows in the water. You have to think about the vastly different views of that sea that have populated people's minds, from the Tuscans and the Romans, to Mussolini and Salvini. Its a natural wonder that goes overlooked in the stead of Vesuvius, Gibraltar, but its also a sort of a... liquid breadbasket." he said, smiling as he made the admittedly imperfect analogy.

Blackwell took notice of the others now crowding the booth and looked back to Luka.

"Hey, we'll catch up later at the dorm, its nice seeing you again." he said, oblivious to the Spaniard's once over. "And be ready to give me details!"

As Luka responded and made his way from the table after signing up, Liam smiled at the two people he remembered from orientation.

"Hey, Sophia! And uh... Ryan, I think." he laughed. "I remember you guys from orientation, glad you're stopping by, you interested in signing up?" he asked eagerly, tapping the sheet in front of him. "I'd be happy to answer any questions you've got. Name's Liam if you've forgotten by now." he joked.

[Chewion]

Ryan Carter
School Quad

Ryan smiled as he said "I mean I assume they'll take our preferences into consideration. But I am willing to bet that anything you due you will do excellent at."

Hearing Liam, Ryan smiled and nodded. He really had only faint memories of the kid but smiled none-the-less saying "Of course Liam! How was break dude?" Looking at the sheets for a moment he then added "I am interested in joining and I know that Miss. Sophia is definitely ready. You better take her or you will be missing out on the chance of a lifetime. She's going to be interviewing Presidents and Prime Ministers one day I just know it." Ending he turned to Sophia and gave a playful wink and smile finally feeling confident and at ease around her.

[Imperial Esplanade]

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Momentarily catching sight of the curious specters (including Li) eyeing each of the nearby assortments and arrangements, a spectacular display on each table and a suggestion of each organization's dedication to their causes. Yet, glancing back just in time to hear Ryan's magnanimous declaration of support for her, Sophia couldn't help herself in containing her laugh, her attempt of quelling it failing badly as she smiled widely, dimples on full-formation on her cheeks as she wove her hand about in a dismissive manner.

"Woah man, now that's such a huuuuuge jump from everything I just said." She responded, cracking laughs even still, and quickly turning her eyes away from Ryan momentarily, looking toward Liam, and still smirking as she tried composing herself to address him. "But, um. Yeah, I guess he's right that I'm definitely interested. Do I, like, just... sign up anywhere? Just show up to a meeting or something?"

[Federal States of Xathuecia]

---

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

---

"Ah, a cruise. Funnn, but yeah, we can catch up back at the room." He had raised his eyebrow at his metaphor, finding it more confusing than adding something but he just moved on. Taking a pen, he moved to sign up and writing his name in a rather less-than-subtle cursive. "Always, nothing less than that for ya." He finished, having commented with his head still down but he moved back up. Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his windbreaker, he decided to stay there, seeing who else would approach.

He moved aside from the two who joined, a smirk taking his face. "Chivalry might be dead but over flattering someone is surely not." Luka's commentary was rather uncalled for but he was not one to not speak use words when he saw an opportunity. It perhaps was meant to be a light-hearted joke but its execution was probably less so. Still, he spoke again. "Hi Sophia, Ryan." He nodded at the boy, smiling at the girl.

[Recon]

School Library
Ryo Shimizu

He was running, just dodging the many students and staff who cluttered the school’s ancient corridors. There was an nagging sense of urgency, but Ryo was still confident. He had made the journey many times last year, so he knew exactly where he was going and what he needed to do once he arrived. As he approached the library’s wooden doors he slowed, eager not to be scolded for running by the staff. Inside he noticed it was surprisingly busy, did everyone have the same idea? Ryo knew the layout perfectly having spent much of the summer here working on his English. Every day after the Baseball team had finished their training; he had retreated to the cool and quiet confines of the library. It had become his sanctuary, the perfect excuse to defuse his parents with. Who could complain about their son spending time in the school’s library?

Instead of returning straight back to the city and an empty house now Kiyoko was gone, he would spend most afternoons in the library reading some of his favourite books. He was well prepared with the bilingual dictionary on his phone and an English grammar textbook. He would bring with him the particular book he was reading at the time, both the Japanese and the English editions. He would begin to read the English version, stopping when he was stumped on an unknown word or a grammar question, then he would turn to his app or textbook for an explanation. The final failsafe was the Japanese edition of the book and the direct translation. It was tempting to go this way from the start and read each edition side by side, yet Ryo soon noticed that it was not as effective as making himself look up the translations, it seemed to stick better that way.

One after the other he finished Kafka on the Shore, The Thief and a book he had only recently finished and thus was still fresh in his mind, Six Four. The time he had spent in the library quietly reading and researching, had been some of his happiest since his sister had left. Back then he had dreaded returning home at the end of each day. Fortunately he would not have to feel that way again for a long time, if he had a say in it anyway.

Ryo pulled up a list on his phone. His eyes nervously darting to the time as he did. It contained the titles of books on the reading list and the corresponding shelf number where it was located. He made brisk work of it, eager to collect up all the books he needed before they were taken by other students. Nearing the end of the list, he turned into the fiction section looking for Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. There he spotted a familiar face, one of the few other students he had seen in the library over the summer. Peter something; he thought back to the first name on the information sheet from the dormitory, Peter Kowalski that was it.

Walking over he noticed his new roommate was listening to music. He waved his hand gently to get the Peter’s attention.

“Hey, Peter right? It’s Ryo; we met back here in the summer".

He wondered if he would remember, it was only a few minutes of conversation after all,

"I`ve been assigned to room 2 and I saw your name on the list. It’s nice to see you again”.

He snuck a look at his phone; he was really cutting it close now. Still if this Peter was going to be his roommate for a whole year, it would be worth being a little late.

“You are from Canada right?”

Ryo’s eyes drifted to the bookshelves as he looked for Conrad’s book.

“I`m here getting a head start on the required reading, I like to be organised", he offered by way of explanation.

That was only partly true, he did not want to admit that it would take him far longer than everyone else to finish the books once he got them.

"You see the Heart of Darkness anywhere? It's not where it is supposed to be and with everyone rushing to assembly or out on the quad, I’m hoping I’ll get my pick of the best books on the reading list”.

His eyes again searched the shelves, but after a few seconds without any encouragement he reluctantly gave up.

“Times almost up” Ryo showed the time on his phone to Peter, “I`m about to head off to the assembly in a minute, do you want to go down there together?”

[Vaquas]

School Quad
Liam Blackwell

"Presidents and Prime Ministers huh, sounds like good work." Liam said, picking up on the flattery and smirking at Luka's comment. His eyes darted to Sophia and his hand gestured at the paper in front of him.

"Yeah, just sign your name right there and we'll get in touch to arrange an interview very soon, a writing sample is prefered as well. Most people who want in get in, we just want to make sure that everyone's up to par when it comes to quality of work. If people think you're set to wind up in the White House press pool, I don't think you'll have anything close to a problem." he said, tongue in cheek with a friendly smile.

Seeing Claudia approach, Liam greeted her as well, with a friendly nod.

"Nice to see you back Claudia, looking forward to seeing more of your work this year." he said, noting her chipper expression and sliding over a second sign in sheet, as the first was occupied. "Just a formality for you of course."

Liam was internally satisfied with the number of people who had already dropped by, if not to sign up than to at least acquaint themselves with the school paper and grab some of the literature. It was his hope they wouldn't even have to dump any of it the cabinet, that dreaded receptacle of shame, the final destination of all discarded newspaper odds and ends that were deemed too sentimental by Mrs. Petersen to be deposited in the dump. Someone had mentioned recycling, but for some reason, that proposal was never taken quite as seriously as he would have liked either...

Back in front of him though, he had Sophia, and he bolstered the potentially intimidating prospect of an interview with some hopefully helpful words.

"We're a professional paper, but we're also a family, as cheesy and overdone as that sounds. Joining the Sentinel means always having a home at Milford-Gaudier, and as new students I know that's probably important for the both of you." he said, talking to both but keeping his visual focus on the female half of the equation. "So don't sweat it."

[Corrian]

Cassandra Goldberg

Cassandra seemed to have her dorm room all to herself right now, because everyone in her dorm room had already headed off to the Assembly. She was late, so she had missed them settling in, and it wasn't like she particularly cared. If it had been possible, she would have a room for herself, but for obvious reasons, that was not a thing. And she didn't particularly find Assembly's exciting, in fact she found they tended to bore the shit out of her, so she was trying to procrastinate it for as long as possible, meaning she would likely arrive in the last minute, or just straight up be late, she didn't really care. She just continued to sit on a random bed that she hadn't specifically claimed for herself, and listened to her music, staring off into the distance.

Scarlett Swift

It was the first day, and Scarlett was pretty sure that she was lost. Lost in the fucking school that is. She was used to a lot smaller of a school, so she was getting herself lost in the school right now because she didn't know her way around yet. But eventually, she would find her way out of her conundrum, and into the assembly room, which was quite magnificent compared to anything her old school could muster. Not only was this school quite a bit larger, it was quite a bit nicer, in basically every way. Stuff actually looked maintained and up to date in style for the most part, despite the buildings apparent age. Meanwhile she felt like her old school was going to fall down on her in the middle of class. It was refreshing to be in such a nice, and big school, albeit a bit intimidating at the same time.

For her, once she was in the assembly, she just went straight to finding a place appropriate to sit, wherever that was, and whoever that ended up being around, she had no idea. Her family had insisted she message them when she got here, and she hadn't exactly done that yet, so seeing as nothing had begun yet (She had no idea what the schedule was, she just saw where people were beginning to file), she had pulled out her phone already and started rapidly tapping the screen to send a message to both her mother and father, saying that she had arrived mostly unscathed and that she was settling in now, albeit getting lost in the school. She figured that would do for now, at least updating her parents on the situation, but she knew her mom got weird about shit, so she was already bracing for her response. For now, however, she just had her phone resting on her lap and she was looking around the room that the assembly was taking place in, just mindlessly passing the time until either the assembly started, or she got a response back, but there was a chance that her parents were either drunk off their rocker right now or at work, she honestly never knew. How they had jobs was a miracle.

Claudia Steinfeld

"Good to see you again as well. I feel like this year is going to be a good year" Claudia said cheerfully, enjoying the first day so far and she didn't specifically know why. She was just in a good mood today and it made her feel like good things were going to come of the year because of it. She of course signed everything that she had to for rejoining, and when it came to presumably putting in a signature itself, she wrote her signature in perfect stylistic cursive, and it seemed like her handwriting was rather precise and flawless overall. At least when it came to writing her signature. And she wasn't slow with it, either. "Looking forward to yours, and the rest of the teams work, as well" She responded with a smile, slipping the piece of paper back towards him, and then stepping out of the way, though staying in the area, so the line could keep moving smoothly if there was one.

[The World Capitalist Confederation]

"My expression might give off a bit of fear, but trust me, I have no fear. I have lived in America for a few years now, I know its culture and its ways...The average American day consists of eating McDonalds for breakfast, KFC for lunch and Taco Bell for dinner." his quick wit had saved him (or at least he thought so) from coming of f awkward. "I am just an introvert. I do not speak that often, because I am usually occupied with playing the violin..or the piano. Depends on where I am. Tell me, do you want to listen?" he had ignored her German, clearly thinking of it as minced. He brushed off dust from his suit and tipped his hat to both of them. "The reason I find myself here is because I want to make some friends for once, unlike before. My brother was my only friend until he went to London..". He had stood in a solemn silence, thinking of him.

[Kwadai]

Yixuan Zhu

Yixuan looked first to the boy, Ernest, who had joined them and then back to Erin as she introduced herself. She stated how she had come here from Auckland in New Zealand, a fact that easily explained her strong accent. “Ah wow!” he exclaimed. “I think your country looks very beautiful,” he added. It wasn’t a lie, though he had never actually been there, any pictures he had ever seen all depicted a striking and pristine natural environment. That was something Yixuan could appreciate. A city boy from the middle of one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, the natural world was only something he had ever visited on trips both within and outside China.

Ernest on the other hand, was German, or so Yixuan presumed, considering Erin had answered him in German. It was never a language he had tried to learn before so he was unable to contribute in that manner. Ernest seemed a little unusual with his attire, not exactly what Yixuan would have expected somebody to come to school wearing. While he didn’t necessarily have a problem with it, it seemed at least somewhat out of place. When the German boy began to talk however, Yixuan’s confusion really set in, particularly once McDonalds, KFC and Taco Bell were mentioned. “...and I thought I was being odd,” he thought while continuing to listen to the other boy speak. Ernest suggested playing either violin and piano but considering he had known him for less than two minutes, Yixuan didn’t think it would help the already awkward atmosphere. “Really? I can also play those instruments, but I think now is not the best time. The assembly will start soon,” he answered, glancing briefly to Erin unsure if she agreed with him or would like to hear Ernest’s music.