The Hallowed Halls of Fielding (IC Thread)

[Ganos Lao]

OOC: All students should get to cafeteria; if you'd prefer, they don't have to. They can go to their dorms or library. You can open conversation with whoever - even NPCs.

After hours of classwork, the cafeteria opened its doors to accept the students - legions of them in their uniforms and talking amongst themselves about whatever came to mind. Of course, the Starlets had their own table and they were all talking about the foreign boys to gauge if any of them were worthwhile for dating purposes - interestingly, Xerxes got credited somewhat, but Sho was never mentioned, and Rehan was condemned by Starlet sycophants alongside Kandajha, that poor runt. Rehan got invited to sit with Irikah and Vivian, the princesses. They were the bane of the Starlets, if only because while Lulu hated Irikah, who was "lizard face," ever since Irikah questioned Lulu's self-proclaimed authority one day, they were related to Queen Quinn, who inspired the Starlets when it came to fashion and fineries. Of course, the Queen herself even had her own clique - The Royal Society for the Propagation of Fashion - and the Starlets dreamed of being in such a prestigious organization. But they were here - stuck in their lives of elitist contempt for the common folk - but they were merely one of several cliques. There were the Saradians, who were introverted because only fellow Saradians ever befriended them - humans and others never really sat with them unless a Saradian girl was dating a human boy or something. Then you had the Elven, sons and daughters of Ganosian nobility (shared between Humans and Elven) and the vulpines, kitsune, nekomini, and others. There were teachers walking the halls of the cafeteria, if only to keep tabs on students. Sarah Turell, the Lollipop Girl, managed to slurk her way to her own table and ended up overlooking her text messages.

With free food and drinks served to them, Irikah and Vivian sat with Rehan and told her all about their collective time at Fielding - Irikah said that she didn't mind it here and that Vivian was always so helpful. The two had been best friends since they were younger - Vivian said that Irikah's mother was distantly related to the Queen, who was Vivian's older sister in the family, and that Irikah's mother met this reptilian guy and then, well, they dated and got married and then Irikah was born. Irikah said that he was one of the few non-humans who initially got a break in the Ganosian hierarchy. She said that he currently worked as a commando in the Army and that he was currently away, training newbies and all. "You'd like him, though. He's a good guy."

Vivian, meanwhile, said that her father was dead. "My father was the usurping tyrant, Ian, who thought he was literally a God. It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it all right now but to sum it up for you, let's just say that I'm just thankful I survived that civil war - hell, Rehan, even the Starlets survived it. Yeah, even Lulu did. Me and Irikah stuck together - though - and we fled overseas with relatives who defected. Only Her Majesty stayed behind, but she's never told us what happened to her while she did."

"Never once," Irikah said.

Vivian then raised her finger momentarily. "Don't mind calling us by our formal titles. We may be princesses, but we're not stingy about it."

[The Kangaroo Republic]

Arne entered the dormitory room he was assigned to. The eastern grey 'roo felt awkward having to wear a uniform. Normally, he would never go anywhere without wearing his favourite baseball cap, but in here, he most definitely wouldn't be allowed to wear it, so he had kept it inside his bag. He sighed and looked around the room.

His fur was a bit shaggy, but he preferred it that way. He didn't care about looking as neat as possible. Just looking normal was good enough for him. He had no reason to stand out from the crowd anyway, not from a normal crowd in his country at least, but among the other students in this boarding school, his appearance definitely made him stand out. There wasn't a single other kangaroo he'd seen around so far.

It seemed that his roommate wasn't there yet. He was curious what he was going to be like, but all he had so far was his name: Zed Eugene Lee. He hoped he was gonna be a nice guy, after all, he had to share a room with him. He was a bit skeptical about the place, the people at this school seemed to be a bit too snobby for his liking, and it was quite likely that whoever was gonna be his roommate was probably some idiotic bloke who was the crown prince of some obscure country or something.

[Lakaziria]

Hengji walked idly around the cafeteria looking for a place to sit. Normally in Rastynhaven, students would try to invite as many people to their tables as possible as sort of a little tradition, but obviously it was very different here.

[Samuraikoku]

Sitting with Xerxes - so far his only acquaintance, as he hadn't yet tried to speak with princesses Vivian and Irikah -, Sho overheard the group of girls that Xerxes had previously called Starlets. They were speaking about the guys they were interested in, and he wasn't mentioned. He paid no mind, he didn't want their attention if they were going to be stuck-up primadonnas. He did feel sympathy for Rehan and Kandanjha, though - the rumors of what happened during their class had reached him. But he knew he would be sticking his nose where it didn't belong if he attempted something, so he had a rational thought.

"If they find themselves in trouble, I will intervene."

[Nalaya]

"I'll remember that," Rehan said, grateful for the disposal of titles. She wouldn't have known what to do with it. "Both of you are very lucky you managed to flee. The country I come from...I was not so lucky. Nalaya, my new home, was just founded a few years ago by General Vaneni. She has been good to me. We all went through the war together, and when we survived, we promised we would never let it happen again. I think that is why I couldn't just stand by when Lulu was tormenting that poor girl."

She ate hunched over her tray, like she'd just come through a seven season famine. She didn't talk again until the food was gone. "I don't understand this place. We don't have to cooperate or work together, everyone dresses differently, I haven't had to do PT, and no one has screamed at me for a whole day," the girl said. She sighed. "I miss the army. There are no cliques or whatever this business is. Everyone is green, inside and out. And everybody is your brother or your sister. Hell, the DI is pretty much just Dad on a bad day."

[Legionica]

Xerxes had managed to make his way to his own, empty table. Overlooking the others, Xerxes saw he made some strange stares, others not so strange. But the hype over him had died down, and to Xerxes's relief. Focusing on decoding the social structure of this school, Xerxes examined the Starlets held a tyrannical rule over the females, while the Saradians tended to keep to themselves. Contemplating, Xerxes decided to let anyone who wanted to talk to him, come to him himself. Of course, this was probably just an illusion in Xerxes's mind, as most would overlook him as a jock, or nerd by the opposing clique. Hopefully, Xerxes thought to make his way to the church to commune with the gods. Perhaps ask Herenia for wisdom to guide him through this week. The girls of this school were an odd type, other than the obvious suitors he had in Legionica. Hopefully, some cliques would ask him to join them. Then, he could finally understand these groups. And to add to that, Sho was a nice boy. Naive enough, too. Maybe once he learned about these people, he could teach Sho something. Anything. Xerxes was going to have a different, to say the least, time at this school.

[Ganos Lao]

"I'll remember that," Rehan said, grateful for the disposal of titles. She wouldn't have known what to do with it. "Both of you are very lucky you managed to flee. The country I come from...I was not so lucky. Nalaya, my new home, was just founded a few years ago by General Vaneni. She has been good to me. We all went through the war together, and when we survived, we promised we would never let it happen again. I think that is why I couldn't just stand by when Lulu was tormenting that poor girl."

She ate hunched over her tray, like she'd just come through a seven season famine. She didn't talk again until the food was gone. "I don't understand this place. We don't have to cooperate or work together, everyone dresses differently, I haven't had to do PT, and no one has screamed at me for a whole day," the girl said. She sighed. "I miss the army. There are no cliques or whatever this business is. Everyone is green, inside and out. And everybody is your brother or your sister. Hell, the DI is pretty much just Dad on a bad day."

"You're luckier than many Ganosians were during the Civil War we had - from what I heard from my dad, who fought in it, it was horrible stuff. My father fought alongside the Revolutionary United Front of Ganosia, who now leads the nation, and he said that those soldiers he fought with were just average guys trying to survive the chaos. I was all the way overseas with Vivian, then, and we rarely kept in touch, me and my dad, but I knew I was always on his mind. The irony is that the tyrant, Ian, was one of the best friends, so my dad said, that non-humans ever had. He let them come live here in droves."

Vivian nodded her head. "Lulu's always been like that. The Starlets are posers, really. Trying to act like us princesses, like us royals. It's why they don't dare to bother us."

[Arda Tuluva]

Imrahil had taken his things to his assigned dormitory room, his roommate was not there nor did it appear he had yet moved in. It was no matter, he would soon meet his roommate in the hours to come. He set up a small altar and placed an intricate designed candle with a silver holder on the it next to the Aian Calma, a sacred object of his faith, and the Book of Origin. He set his laptop on the desk and connected it to the converter then plugged it in. He hung up his clothes, most were tailored dress shirts and waistcoats. He saw the time and realized if he did not leave immediately he would be late for his first class. He did not mind wearing the mandatory uniform, after all all students in Arda Tuluva wear uniforms.

While in Maths Imrahil was called on to answer some equation. He stood up from his desk bowed respectfully to the professor before giving his answer, "Y=5x-3, Learned Professor." Throughout the class he noted that girl seductively sucking on her sucker he was amused by that chuckling to himself. After class he was walking towards the gymnasium for his next class as he walked down the hall he noticed the self-styled Starlets were eying many of the foreign men. They would wink with their sparkling eyes and smile seductively, but behind the feigned sincerity there was nothing but malice, and Imrahil would see it as clear as day. One, who appeared to be the leader, winked at him and Imrahil nodded his head politely as they walked by. He rolled his eyes with a shake of his head after they had passed. Merciful Vána, where have I been sent?

After a few hours lunch was called and Imrahil walked to the cafeteria. There he noticed the divisions amongst the students. It was far different than the military academy that he had gone to while home in Arda Tuluva, where everyone ate in nine rows of thirty-six. He noticed a table with only two others, "Might I join you both?" he asked the Legionican as he gestured to the empty seat.

[Nalaya]

Rehan shrugged. "I would not know what it is like to lose my father. He died very early on. It is my mother that I remember better--" Crushed flowers...heavy boots...silver clouds swirling in front of the moon...fire, always fire... She blinked and cleared her thoughts. She could smell the roses like their bruised petals were pressed against her face again. "I have buried her three times now, soon to be a four. Her body comes in pieces. It was a mass grave, so it has taken a long time to sort out which bones are hers. I had to identify the remains. Her ring, the wedding ring, it has leaves engraved in it. I think because she and my father were married in the autumn."

She swallowed the knot forming in her throat. You are not at home, Rehan. Try not to think of it, she coached herself. "Forgive me. I have...trouble, sometimes. It is not unusual for survivors, I am told. Civil wars are ugly business. But on a different subject, do you think we will have free time? I do not want to get out of shape."

The girl glanced away and spotted Xerxes at his table. "Sociable fellow, no? I half expected him to be drowning in sporty types."

[Samuraikoku]

Sho looked at the newcomer asking, and smiled.

Sho: "No problem!"

He made enough space for him to sit down.

Sho: "My name is Sho. What's yours?"

He extended a hand.

[Arda Tuluva]

Imrahil shook Sho's hand smiling, "Imrahil Ehtelion from Arda Tuluva. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sho." He took his seat and grabbed onto his drink, the cold felt like rapture against his burnt palm. "And where might you hail from?"

He took a bite of his food, it tasted somewhat bland compared to the spicy and highly seasoned foods of his home. Though, in truth traditional foods from Angulónor were far more bland than this, but when the Noldori conquered the North during the Grand Consolidation they brought with them their spices and seasons. Now most food he ate at home were so hot and spicy it felt as if he were eating fire, but how he did love it.

[Urmanian]

Lapis Lazuli has entered his room, dropped down his bags, sighed and flexed his muscles, taking a look around. The room was empty - his roommate was nowhere to be seen.

-"I wonder what he's like" - pondered the pony as he unpacked and sorted his belongings. He then put on his special-made uniform, combed his azure mane and tail neatly and trotted out in the hallway.

-"Everyone should be in the cafeteria by now, it's dinner time. How convenient, I am hungry like a horse." - thought Lapis and headed to the cafeteria.

Arriving there, he poked his head into the door and cautiosly peeked around the cafeteria, noticing that very few students have arrived already, and there were a lot of vacant seats. The pony sighed with relief - he didn't want to attract unnecessary attention (which is rather hard being a blue pony, you know!) and slipped into the cafeteria. He made his way to the most distant, empty table, his head lowered with a shy smile, and plopped down the seat. From here, he could observe other students undisturbedly, but frankly his mind was more fixed on the food now, as his tummy was sending him angry signals in the form of rumbling.

[Rumbria]

<So far the food was bland, the natives seemed barbaric and the only conversation she had managed to overhear was so unbelievably fucking depressing that Perinska actually preferred to sit alone at present, despite her usually extroverted nature.>

Might open that wine a little earlier tonight if things keep going the way they are... I could fucking murder a drink.

<She thought to herself as she half heartedly played with the meal in front of her. After several moments of pushing a baby potato back and forward with her fork Perinska sighed, rolled her eyes and got to her feet. She had spotted a vending machine across the room - With any luck the barbarians would be civilised enough to include a decent selection of soft drinks, seeing as it was still far too early to indulge in anything hard. As she strode across the room, carrying herself with the usual air of Rumbrian arrogance, her eyes flitted around the room, taking in her surroundings, seeing if anyone would attempt to talk to her, or if anyone was worth an approach from her.>

[Samuraikoku]

Imrahil shook Sho's hand smiling, "Imrahil Ehtelion from Arda Tuluva. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sho." He took his seat and grabbed onto his drink, the cold felt like rapture against his burnt palm. "And where might you hail from?"

He took a bite of his food, it tasted somewhat bland compared to the spicy and highly seasoned foods of his home. Though, in truth traditional foods from Angulónor were far more bland than this, but when the Noldori conquered the North during the Grand Consolidation they brought with them their spices and seasons. Now most food he ate at home were so hot and spicy it felt as if he were eating fire, but how he did love it.

Sho: "Arda Tuluva? Geez, I have heard of your nation! I would like to visit one day. If possible, I'd like to learn Quenya as well. My full name is Sho Hayatsu, and I hail from Samuraikoku. Nice to meet you as well, Imrahil!"

[Veceria]

Zed was at the toilet the time Arne entered the room, several meters away from him. He arrived several hours before his sister, out of some unknown circumstances. They both arrived with the same flight, after all. He walked out of the toilet, washing his hands at first, of course, and ran towards the room assigned to him, the rolls of his bags rattling over the floor. He stormed through the room's door, nearly crushing into Arne. "Uh ... excuse me, Sir." He didn't know what his roommate would look like, and didn't know if this ... kangaroo was a teacher or ... a student. "I'm ... I'm Zed. Zed Eugene Lee. A pleasure to meet you, Sir." He moved his hand forwards, offering it for a handshake.

---

Charlie entered through the main door, trying to hide from any teachers or similar, even if her bags were quite big. She was too late ... way too late. She didn't know where her room was, and was nearly crying, trying to see someone who may help her. After a while, running around in the main hall, she sat down on the floor and began to sob. "C ... Can ... Can anybody help me?"

[Rumbria]

<Having long grown bored with the canteen, Raquel had purchased some shitty soft drink she had never even heard of, let alone tasted, and left to explore the institute. After only a few moments, she heard the sound of gentle sobbing echoing though the allegedly 'hallowed' halls.>

"C ... Can ... Can anybody help me?"

<Came a voice. Frowning, Raquel tracked down the source, surfacing in the main hall. A young girl lay, gently sobbing, on the floor.>

"Hello? Are you ok?" <She asked, in English, which was apparently the 'universal' language.>

[The Kangaroo Republic]

Arne turned around. He was a bit surprised at the sudden entrance of the person who apologized to him very fast. He introduced himself as Zed Eugene Lee. Then it was obvious to him. This was his roommate. He smiled and gave him a nod.

"Oh, cool. So that means you're gonna be my roommate." Arne said with a very thick Australian accent. In his sentences, the words he spoke with seemed to be connected together as though it was all just one big word. He shook hands with Zed. He actually seemed more polite than he thought he would be, and a little uncertain too. "My name's Arne Wudar Bizmut. You really do not have to call me sir, just so you know." He chuckled.

[Legionica]

Imrahil shook Sho's hand smiling, "Imrahil Ehtelion from Arda Tuluva. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sho." He took his seat and grabbed onto his drink, the cold felt like rapture against his burnt palm. "And where might you hail from?"

He took a bite of his food, it tasted somewhat bland compared to the spicy and highly seasoned foods of his home. Though, in truth traditional foods from Angulónor were far more bland than this, but when the Noldori conquered the North during the Grand Consolidation they brought with them their spices and seasons. Now most food he ate at home were so hot and spicy it felt as if he were eating fire, but how he did love it.

Sho: "Arda Tuluva? Geez, I have heard of your nation! I would like to visit one day. If possible, I'd like to learn Quenya as well. My full name is Sho Hayatsu, and I hail from Samuraikoku. Nice to meet you as well, Imrahil!"

"I am Xerxes Sanguine, Prince of Legionica. My father has spoke of your nation before, but not in length. It is a pleasure to meet you, Imrahil." Growing up around Ganosian cuisine made Xerxes feel at home when he ate it, and it helped soothe his homesickness. "You are 17, no? I am not very good with ages and estimates."

[Veceria]

Zed sighed, relieved that it wasn't a teacher, but his roommate. "Uh ... oh, Hi Arne. Sorry, I thought you were a teacher. I'm ... kinda lost here ..." He looked around, but smiled at Arne after a while. "You're ... a 'roo ... interesting ... I didn't know there were ... sapient kangaroos." He blushed slightly and placed his bags near the empty bed, whistling a random, fast-paced song.

---

Charlie looked up, tears running down her eyes. "I came too late ... I don't know where my room is ... and don't know where I have to go at all ..." She continued sobbing, covering her eyes with her hands.

[Arda Tuluva]

"It is an honor, Highness." He said bowing his head. Custom would have demanded that he stood to bow, but Imrahil decided to ignore protocol, his father would have been wanton with him if were here, he thought that the Legionican royal would not mind. "Sixteen, actually. And His Highness is of a likewise age? Yes."

[Rumbria]

<Despite herself, Raquel laughed. She couldn't help but showcase a little immaturity.> "Haha, came too late. Fuck, I can't help myself. Sorry." <With a kind smile, she extended her hand to the girl to offer to help her up.> "I wouldn't worry about it, I'll help you find out where your room is and, well, I don't know fucking anyone here either, so if it's cool we can just hang out together and talk shite until someone tells us what to do."

[Legionica]

"It is an honor, Highness." He said bowing his head. Custom would have demanded that he stood to bow, but Imrahil decided to ignore protocol, his father would have been wanton with him if were here, he thought that the Legionican royal would not mind. "Sixteen, actually. And His Highness is of a likewise age? Yes."

"Yes, and please, call me Xerxes. Or Cicero, if you prefer. My duties are not much as of now, so it is alright to do what would be called 'insubordination' any other time. How do you feel about Fielding, as of now? I personally am intrigued, and I want to learn about this strange new place..." Xerxes looked all around, seeing many different peoples, and then turned back to Imrahil, waiting for his answer.

[The Kangaroo Republic]

"Well, my country is pretty much full of them." Arne said. He chuckled. "I am from the FKR, also known as the Kangaroo Republic." He sat down on his bed, which felt warm and very wooly. "So where are you from, if I may ask?" He said. He placed his bag on his bed and opened it. Inside it was some of the stuff which he just couldn't possibly ever leave behind. It included his skateboard, his baseball cap which would have been on his head if he wasn't forced to wear a uniform, some extra clothing, his MP-3 player on which he had his favourite songs, and his diary, as well as some equipment which he needed for school.

"Also, I think we should go to the cafeteria soon. I believe that that's where pretty much everyone is heading to at the moment." He remarked as he rummaged through his bag to find his MP-3 player.

[Samuraikoku]

"It is an honor, Highness." He said bowing his head. Custom would have demanded that he stood to bow, but Imrahil decided to ignore protocol, his father would have been wanton with him if were here, he thought that the Legionican royal would not mind. "Sixteen, actually. And His Highness is of a likewise age? Yes."

"Yes, and please, call me Xerxes. Or Cicero, if you prefer. My duties are not much as of now, so it is alright to do what would be called 'insubordination' any other time. How do you feel about Fielding, as of now? I personally am intrigued, and I want to learn about this strange new place..." Xerxes looked all around, seeing many different peoples, and then turned back to Imrahil, waiting for his answer.

Sho: "If you don't mind me chiming in, I am of your same opinion, Xerxes."

[Veceria]

Zed turned around again. This Kangaroo was quite a nice person, better than most other people he had met since his arrival. "I'm from Veceria, Nova region." Some of his things lay on his bed, including a big black book with a mysterious symbol on it, and some candles and matches. "Umm ... it may sound weird but ... may I touch your fur? I'm just curious how it feels." He blushed, biting his lower lip and grinning a little bit. "Oh, and of course we can go to the cafeteria. I'll just ..." The young boy turned around and grabbed a small pack, displaying the same symbol as the book.

---

Charlie looked up and raised an eyebrow, confused by Raquel's actions. "Uh ... umm ... why do you laugh?" She felt a little bit insulted, but wiped away her tears quickly and stood up again, grabbing for the girl's arm as assistance. "Oh ... kay, thanks. I just don't know how the teachers will react ..." Another tear ran down her cheek, which she quickly wiped away.