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

by **The Twelve Isles** » Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:02 pm

Janet Sarah McNulty

Janet breathed through her nose. This was all so sudden, and she imagined probably not quite how Edward had planned to make all of this happen. But still, it was out there now, and there was no turning back for Maureen. Janet just hoped Edwards parents would be OK with this. She had met them once, and while they had seemed like alright people, they also had seemed fairly straight laced. Finally, she rubbed her hand down her face and studied her converse, before looking back up. "Ok," she said quietly. "I guess this is just how it is then. Um, well, as I said this is pretty strange, but I'm not against it and I just want you to know as my friend that I support you. Its just going to take a little getting used to, but I'll do everything I can to stick by you in this decision." Janet looked back up and smiled at her friend, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed her feelings on the matter. She wanted to do what was right for her friend, even if it lead to some initial discomfort on her part. She would get used to it, she would have to. Though she couldn't say it wouldn't take a while to get used to referring to Edward as Edward, after two years of calling him Marueen.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 8:09 am

School Quad

Blake shook his head, laughing a tad uncomfortably at an off-the cuff, and rather lewd, remark one of his teammates had made regarding a certain female he had been crushing on, once she crossed their paths. Opening his mouth to say something, he was caught off-guard as Jimmy appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Blake turned his body toward Jimmy, both similar in height and stature, and looked at Jimmy in the eye as he reciprocated the gesture, clasping hands and giving Jimmy a friendly, yet firm, handshake.

"Hey man!" Blake remarked, quickly turning to his teammates for a brief moment, who seemed to have slowly begun to walk away toward the fountain in the center of the quad. "Hey, guys! Catch ya'll later, alright?" Then, turning back to Jimmy, Blake stashed his hands into his pockets. "Jimmy... what's the last name? Sorry, it's been a busy morning. I'm just drawing a blank on the last name." He said, lightly rubbing his temple afterward.

by **Kwadai** » Thu Feb 14, 2019 9:09 am

Yixuan Zhu

Yixuan blinked in confusion as Erin spoke and seconds later disappeared, then came back only to hand him a printed map. Her accent was fast and unfamiliar, it sounded either Australian or that of a New Zealander, but he struggled to distinguish the two. Either way he wasn’t able to understand everything she had said, but he had gotten the general idea: she didn’t know either. Had she spoken slower he probably would have pieced everything together through the accent. His English teacher in China was an Englishman from somewhere near London as far as he could remember, but most English that he had encountered had been from watching American tv series so to be met with New Zealand was considerably more challenging. Of course out of everyone in the dormitories, it was just his luck that he would pick out another foreigner who didn’t know either.

Glancing over the map wasn’t all that helpful as he already knew what each building was, what he wanted to know was a definite answer about which building he needed to go to. Yixuan dipped his head slightly to give the girl back her map. “It’s ok, you can keep it,” he politely responded. “I just want to know what specific room it is on in.” Even though his proficiency was very high and he could understand perfectly well when reading or writing, talking was different. Besides speaking English in a classroom and actually using it in real life situations were two very different things. Yixuan wasn’t very confident, and as a result he had become anxious he would not be understood and he hoped this problem hadn’t arisen out of a misunderstanding he had caused. “I’m sorry if I confused you,” he added just in case that was what had happened

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:41 pm

Female Dormitories - Room One
9:52AM

Sophia shook her head, laughing, and wove her hand dismissively at Audrey, once she had taken out the last of her bed-sheets, setting the jumbo-sized ziplocked bags of the folded sheets on the bare mattress. Sophia smirked, turning to face Audrey and exhaled. Internally, part of her was amused at the spectacle, though she also had mused on how serious her roommate had been at the suggestion. Sophia, prior to speaking, set a hand on Audrey's shoulder, looking directly into her eyes.

"I'm sure you do, but everything's going to be just fine." Sophia said, conveying as much certainty through her voice as she can muster. "And I think we'll get along just fine." She added, grinning, then turning back to look down at her somewhat emptied-suitcase, setting her hands on her hips. "I'm... gonna head back downstairs, just to walk around and check out campus. You're welcome to come along too, if you'd like." Sophia explained, pointing out through the window, overlooking the quad in front of the dormitories.

"Nah." Audrey said, shrugging her shoulders. "I actually should probably start unpacking at some point too." She says, slumping back down onto her bed, and quickly finishing the rest of her game.

Sophia looked on for a moment longer at her roommate, and shook her head, internalizing her amusement to herself. "Alright, well I'll be right back then." She says, stepping out of the hallway. Sophia smiles and waves at a few other girls, and guys who appear to be lingering around the female wing of the dorms, before eventually making her way down the stairs, stepping out into the lobby greeting area, full of vending machines and surrounded by large lounges, and eventually walking out from the front doors of the dormitory building altogether... her eyes scanning the still-growing seas of people around the quad.

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 5:49 pm

Ryan Carter

Ryan had been meandering around since about 7 AM. First going for a morning jog before taking a shower and reading some Bible verses. Then he had set off for a walk, during the course of which, he decided to go see if he could find his sister. Now over by the girl dormitories, he stopped for a moment to tie his shoe. As he was looking back up he couldn't help but notice her. Her being Sophia Taylor, a girl he had fallen for when he had first laid eyes on her.

Forgetting all about his sister, Ryan straightened up, said a quick prayer, and made his way over to Sophia saying, when he got to her, "Hey, you're Sophia right? we met briefly at orientation. How are you liking things so far?" He gave her a gentle and friendly smile as he tried to mask the butterflies he felt in his stomach and the prayer he was saying in his mind hoping his face wasn't flush bright already.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 6:46 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Momentarily distracted, as her eyes catch sight of the brunette girl from just mere minutes ago trotting across the quad - trying to keep up with another flock of girls approaching a group of football players, Sophia failed to spot someone approaching, glancing up and appearing surprised to spot a guy's presence mere feet away as be began to speak. Initially, Sophia gave him a dazed, confused look as she hadn't immediately recognized him. Though, following a lingering second of mentally putting together how he seems somewhat familiar, her eyes widened and she dropped her jaw as it had finally connected to her.

"Ooh! Yeah!" Sophia exclaimed, smilingly warmly to him, flashing her dimples as she let out a friendly laugh. "Yeah, we did! And, I just... wow, can't believe I didn't recognize you at first!" Sophia remarked, still smiling and chuckling, facepalming for a moment, only to look back up toward the guy. "And you're.... uh, Ryan. Right?" Sophia inquired, tad uncertain, since the summer orientation group was seemingly large.

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 7:18 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan smiled as he momentarily got lost in her beauty. Her dimples nearly melted his heart. Snapping himself back to the moment he fought against his nerves and said "Yeah I am! If I remember correctly you play guitar, right? I've been trying to get into it but I am definitely not a natural." Hesitating for another moment he gathered his courage and continues saying "I was wondering if you wanted to grab brunch or lunch with me? I don't know too many people here yet so you're probably the closest thing to a friend besides my sister right now." He felt his ears burning as the blood rushed to him slightly, however, he consciously made sure to keep the smile going and make sure his eyes remained friendly.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:20 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Looking into his eyes, keeping an equally friendly grin etched across her face as she normally does, Sophia quickly and confidently nodded her head, her light brown eyes nearing the appearance of hazel. "Yeah, for sure. I think that would be totally cool." She comments, shrugging her shoulder slightly for a brief moment as she glanced away, darting her eyes toward the fountain just behind Ryan.

"And, to be honest with you, I'm kinda feeling like a fish out of water around here too." She adds, orienting her gaze toward Ryan. "So, yeah. I'd love to hang out. I totally wouldn't mind teaching you how to play guitar either." Sophia added, smirking.

"So, you wanna hangout and be lunch-buddies today?"

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 8:30 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan smiled as he got slightly lost in her eyes before quickly saying "Yeah for sure lunch-buddy. And I wouldn't mind taking you up on helping me with the guitar. In return, I could help you with some drums or trumpet if you had any interest?" Thinking around for a moment he visualized the campus in his kind trying to find where the cafeteria was.

Adding on he said "So where do you want to go? Cafeteria or maybe something local? I think I saw a nice cafe not that far away. My treat." Ending with a smile he felt his nerves slowly subside as he waited for her answer.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:09 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

"Oh." Sophia sharply remarked, tad surprised at the suggestion, her shoulders shrugging yet again as she looks around campus to identify the cafeteria. "I... well, actually, I don't even know if we can really leave campus for lunch, but like..."

Sophia then positioned herself to look directly at Ryan, crossing her arms over her chest, and exhaling. Her friendly smile returning across her face. "If we can, that's totally cool with me."

"But, I guess, we can just go to whatever place you were thinking about going to, but after school instead." She then gestured to her dorm, nudging with her head. "Could even start those lessons tonight!"

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:44 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan smiled saying "Sounds great." Looking at her for a brief moment he quickly looked at his watch before saying "Oh snap. Hey, we have an assembly soon. You wanna walk over there together? I don't know this place that well so might help to have another pair of eyes and brains to find the right place." He held the smile in his eyes but relaxed his mouth to a far more comfortable position as his mind started daydreaming about his unofficial date tonight. He just hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself too badly on the guitar in front of her.

by **Elejamie** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 9:59 pm

Erin Sarenda (with guest appearance from Brian Hennessey)

"Nah, bro, no worries." Erin said, not only saying that he shouldn't apologise for confusing her, which he didn't really, but also saying that he can most definitely keep the map she printed off. "You keep it, I don't mind." She then stepped back a little bit to give the other guy a bit of space as well as try and think of something to say. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything other than reiterate what she said earlier. "So er, sorry, don't know where it is so we might have to ask someone." Speak of the devil, a few seconds after Erin finished her sentenced a teacher started to walk by. It turned out to be Mr. Brian Hennessey, the maths teacher. He was dressed in a plain black suit (with no tie), a white and black vertical striped shirt and a pair of black smart shoes. "Excuse me?" Erin asked him, waving him down which caused him to stop.

"Aye?" Brian said, his Northern Irish accent shining through. Though normally he spoke a bit quicker, he spoke slowly around students, especially during his math classes, just so they could understand and learn from him. After all, there's no point in teaching anything if no one can make out what you're saying.

"Do you know where the assembly will be?" Erin simply asked him, rather try and build up to it or anything like that.

"It'll be in the gymnasium." Brian said, just as simply answering the question, though he spoke even slower when he said that first sentence, as he was trying to jog his memory. He then spoke a bit quicker for the next bit. "There should be some signs pointing the way."

"Chur, sir." Erin said, thanking him. However Brian, unaware of New Zealander slang, looked at her confused and was hoping she'd explain. She sheepishly then said "Thank you." in an attempt to explain what she meant.

"No problem." Brian said, sticking his hands in his pockets and getting ready to walk off. But before he did, he said. "But there's still a bit of time, why not have a dander around, learn the place? Maybe make some more friends? It's a big school, you're bound to find someone."

And with that, Brian walked off to the gymnasium, either because he wanted to get there early or to help set everything up. Or to have a quick nap on the gym mats like he had done quite a few times since he started school. Either way, Erin looked over at Yixuan and shrugged. "So do you want to go there now? Or wait here a little bit?"

Veikko Pääkkönen

While that was going on, an old rally car from the 1980s turned up and parked into the lot. A figure got out of it and started to make his way to the school building. He was carrying a plain black rucksack and was also dressed in a red and black plaid shirt, a charcoal grey undershirt with all the buttons undone, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of blue Adidas Originals. It was Veikko Pääkkönen, a Finnish exchange student from Tornio, all the way up in the Arctic Circle, right on the border with Sweden. Arriving in the States a couple of days ago, he spent the first few days getting acquainted to his new digs, which turned out to be his cousin Lauri's apartment over in Chelsea, just across the river into Manhattan. He didn't do much for the first few days, namely get settled into the area and wait for his car to arrive from Finland, but he still made the most of it.

However, this wasn't his first time in the States. He had arrived during the Summer to practice for the school's baseball team, figuring that he had plenty of practice playing pesäpallo and the skills would transfer over alright. It mostly did, although there were still a few kinks that needed to be worked out. He was good at the ground game, getting a good amount of singles and doubles but never scored a home run. He had plenty of stamina due to the way bases are set up but once or twice he forgot that being caught also meant being out. There was also that moment when he took the eye black too far and ended up looking like he should be fronting a black metal band. Not to mention that it took a while for his potential teammates to get his name right, with teammates either calling him "vehicle" or "Pacman" in an attempt to pronounce it right. Despite all of the setbacks, he still made it onto the baseball team alright.

After getting everything sorted out with the front desk, he made his way over to the assembly area. After all, he might as well get in early so he could enjoy the peace and quiet before the hordes of people started to pour in. Making his way to the gymnasium, he could see that there weren't that many people. He did recognise one person, Adam, but he seemed to be in the middle of a three-way conversation and so he decided not to interrupt. Not seeing anyone else in the nearby area, he decided to sit down in a random spot near the back, in a spot that was somewhere in between the middle and the edge. Putting his bag down on the floor, he rested his feet on the back of the seat in front of him and just relaxed. Sure he could crack open a beer (as he had smuggled a can in his bag) and have a drink while he was waiting but, for the minute, he might as well have some shut-eye. Besides, someone would probably notice him drinking and would either tell him to cut it out or would probably want to have some.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:10 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Reaching into the pockets of her loose blue-jeans, holes around the knees and scattered tears to fashioned the pair as if it were weathered, Sophia nodded her head comprehendingly, looking down at his wrist as Ryan checked up on the time, breaking into a grin and pushing a loose stray of hair behind her ear. "Yeah. Sure." Sophia answered back, simply, taking a quick glance at her own attire to give it some thought, eventually settling for the white spaghetti-strap t-shirt with black-and-grey checkered button-up blouse worn opened.

Sophia quickly looked back up, and traced her look around the columned walkways leading to each of the four main buildings centering around the semi-forested quad, before finally spotting a building that appears to have the obvious makeup of a gymnasium. "My guess is... there?" Sophia openly inquired, voice-trailing some as she spots a large gathering of people particularly crowding around the suspected building, her eyes also spotting a table near the entrance advertising the school newspaper, a noticeable and intrigued grin forming on her face.

"I really wanna stop by that table, first, to talk about something though, if you wouldn't mind waiting on me when we get there."

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:19 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan smiled as he followed her gaze to the table. Turning back to Sophia he said “Newspaper huh? You want to be a journalist?” Pausing for a moment he studied her before saying “I can see it. Sophia Taylor, editor of the New York Times. Interviewing world leaders and trotting the globe in search of the next biggest story.” Smiling he said “Sure I’ll wait. Let’s head over there yeah?” Smiling he couldn’t help but be amazed at her drive and ambition.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 10:56 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Looking back toward Ryan, chuckling audibly and shaking her head at his remark, Sophia couldn't help but to smile widely at the suggestions he made. "Honestly, I don't know about all that, but I do just think it would be soooo cool to become a writer one day!" Sophia remarked, sighing wistfully upon the conclusion of her vocalized self-imposed wishes for her life. Although, part of her blushed at the suggestion she could one day be in such a prestigious position.

Yet, even so, she didn't let such thinking get to her heard, letting it lie past the initial entertainment and self-amusement. "Cool, thanks Ryan!" Sophia exclaimed, immediately beginning to walk down the pathway, setting the pace for the two of them as they approach the gymnasium. As she walks, Sophia glances over her shoulder toward Ryan. "Hey, so like what about you? I'm guessing you're, um, in some band or something?"

by **Recon** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:03 pm

Ryo Shimizu

The car rolled gently to a stop. Ryo checked the time on his phone; it was 09:55, finally. The traffic had been worse than usual. From Manhattan, through the Holland Tunnel, they had inched forward, all the while he had been willing for the traffic to clear. His father switched off the engine. He had to get this morning off. The whole time, Ryo had been sitting quietly in the back, his parents were up front. There had been little conversation; his new Beats headphones were already proving their worth. He had managed to listen to most of Perfume’s Future Pop on the way across, stopping at Let Me Know.

Almost there. The time had come. He opened the car door; they were at the school’s drop off zone. His parents followed him out.

“There’s a lot, do you want me to help carry it?” said his father. It was a lot, he had spent last night re-checking everything; he did not want a reason for going back anytime soon.

“No, I’ll manage it”. He busied himself, by pulling the bags out of the trunk. When he stepped away from the car his mother was waiting for him,

“It’s a great school. You already spent last year here, I`m sure it will be fine” opening her arms out for a hug. Ryo squeezed her back.

“You`ll be back for a weekend soon. We`re just across the river, anything and we`ll be here”.

“Thanks mom, I`ll be back soon”. No matter how he felt, he would still miss his mother when they drove away.

“Don’t worry, he’s fine. He’s just missing his sister” said his father reassuringly. He came round for a hug and they embraced briefly.

“We`ll come over in a few weekends. Kevin from work tells me, you can get some great views of the city from Liberty State Park”.

“Great”, he replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

As Ryo collected together the bags, his parents headed back to the car. There were lots of students still waiting to be dropped off.

“Remember to message me tonight Ryo” said his mother as she waved, her door half open.

He stood off to the side and waved as they drove off. In some ways it was a relief, but it still hurt.

He tried carrying the bags, they were heavy. So he set off slowly on his way towards the academy’s main building. Getting through the double doors, he pulled the bags on their wheels. It was easier dragging them through the academies halls. It all looked the same as last year, but it was a welcome sight. He had been waiting almost all summer to come back. He saw some familiar faces from his sophomore year. But he did not stop for long, saying he would catch up at assembly, he kept moving on, wanting desperately to to go and dump his bags in the dorm.

He made his way out to the dorms, he found room 3. Two of the beds were already taken, so he left his bags on the last available one. He took out his baseball from one of the bags, before thinking better of it and putting it back. If he had a free moment, he liked to just pass it from hand to hand or toss and catch it, it seemed to help him think, he had no idea why. He checked the phone again; he was cutting it close for assembly.

He went to check his appearance in the bathroom mirror, smoothed down his Scha Dara Parr 20th Anniversary T-Shirt and found his backpack. I`ve got a minute, so he took out his phone and took a quick photo making sure he showed off the t-shirt and added it to his Line message group for his friends back in Japan.

Just before he left, he checked on the information sheet posted on the dormitory door, the names were listened in alphabetical order. He did not recognise the first name, Peter Kowalski. The second was his own Ryo Shimizu and the third was Adam Walker. It took him a second to recognise the name, Adam from summer baseball. Things were looking up already.

Checking the time again, now he was really running late. He rushed back towards the main buildings and the assembly area. It wouldn’t look great to be late on the first day back. Ryo apologised as he brushed past people standing in the halls, he checked his phone again, just in time.

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:18 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan smiled as he watched Sophia walk slightly ahead of him. Realizing she had said something he quickly said "No, I jammed with some friends sometimes but my sister and I are airforce brats so we moved around a ton. Never was able to put roots down and start anything. I did play Trumpet for a few schools but having to change every time we moved took the fun away. I focused more on track and basketball cause I found it easier to find friends that way."

Pausing for a moment he said "So what about you? Besides music and journalism, what makes Sophia Taylor tick?"

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:48 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Maintaining a healthy lead, although not terribly distant away from Ryan as they continue their trek toward the gymnasium, although with a predetermined stop at the table situated just a few feet away, to the side of the front-door, which still remains locked from the inside, yet time ticking closer and closer to the time they are unlocked, and opened, to the sea of humanity that will inevitably stream in from the doors. Along the journey to their destination, Sophia kept her eyes looking ahead of her, even as she listened to Ryan coming up behind her.

"Wow." She comments, her voice ringing with genuine heartfelt as she uttered the single word right after he shared his story, letting the silence take told and linger prior to Ryan's question. Yet, once he did, Sophia glanced over her shoulder for a brief second. "Umm, well... I guess, books?" Sophia answered back, offering a shrug, then went back to looking ahead of her once more, continuing to walk-and-talk together.

"I mean, I played some sports at the playground, but they're okay. I was alright, not ever like the super good girls at sports. Nor even the super pretty ones always doing gymnastics or cheering at these places. I just did girl scouts when I was little, read a lot and I still do. Guess, just, hanging out with friends!" Sophia said back enthusiastically, though her face slightly dropping and her voice expressing far-less excitement. "I just... kinda wish they could be here too, ya know?"

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 15, 2019 11:56 pm

Ryan Carter

Quad

Ryan thought for a moment before saying “Hey it’s 2019. I’m sure you can get them on Skype! Plus life is all about making new friends right! I’m sure we both will start to feel right at home here soon enough.” Thinking back to what else she had said he thought for a moment before adding “And you can’t convince me you weren’t one of those pretty girls. I refuse to believe that.” Feeling kind of insecure at the blatant complement he had given her about her looks he quickly added “Anyways what kind of books? I love reading too. Was the only constant friend really besides my sister.”

by **The World Capitalist Confederation** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:23 am

Ernest looked around the school, walking around as he played his violin, looking for people to interact with: He had few friends, even back in Germany, and wasn't very good at socialising. His life had usually just involved him playing his instrument, painting or doing whatever else he found fun on his own. When he was younger, he had his brother, but now he didn't even have that. Perhaps, for the time here, he wouldn't be lonely, even if he would be for the rest of his life. He talked to all sorts of people, no matter how old, young, weird, tall, short, fat, thin or whatever, just as long as they had a good personality and had things in common.

Last.FM · by **Corrian** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:23 am

Cassandra Goldberg
Cassandra arrived in her old Toyota Camry hand-me-down and parked it, and by chance, ended up parking it by some rich students cars, making her roll her eyes at the waste of money that was their cars. She just hopped out and grabbed her things. She didn't really want to be here, to be honest. She felt no specific reason why she should be here. Though at the same time, she did welcome it a little. There would be little parental interaction, so she could do whatever the hell she wanted without them fawning all over her all the time. They acted like she should care about her future and her health and all that nonsense, but she really didn't. Yes, even she admitted she got into a bad situation with her addiction problems, but she still lived by the motto of "you only live once" and "living in the moment" instead of worrying about the future or the past all that much. Who gives a fuck if she died at the age of 18? As far as she was concerned, that was her own personal choice to do whatever the fuck she wanted, as long as she got to live her life to its fullest during that time.

She headed inside to get to her dorm and throw all her shit inside to settle in for the year. She tried her best to ignore everyone else around her, the ones yammering about whatever the hell they talked about. Of course, there were the popular girls pretending that they were so important, or the jocks acting like they really mattered. Just a bunch of bullshit gossip talk about a bunch of shit that really didn't matter, and she wanted no part of any of it.

She eventually would make it to her room, and there, she basically just threw her stuff down for now, and pulled her headphones over her head, seeing as she was the first to her dorm room of the 3. She didn't really like the fact she had any roommate, but she knew it was expected. But 3? 3 was even more annoying. Hopefully, whoever they were, they wouldn't be irritating. Or at least irritating enough, as she basically found most people irritating at least sometimes. Whatever, she could just pretend they didn't exist most of the time if they got too irritating, basically like she was doing now where she just put her headphones over her ears and immediately started to blast some metal too loudly into her ear drums.

Claudia Steinfeld
Claudia had arrived to school in her Tesla Model S P100D. Earlier in the day, she had said her farewells to her parents, which were simple and well-mannered. Basically a quick formal goodbye, before they would part ways for the start of Claudia's 3rd year at this school. Her parents would go to their high-class, high-paying jobs, and she would go off to learn all she needed to begin working towards her own dreams. For now, school mostly involved learning all the basics of stuff you need in life, but it would help prepare her to become the model and fashion designer, plus likely business owner down the line, that she had dreamed of being for quite a while.

Of course, being her, she had to dress up nicely for the first school day of the year.. Some more simple and not completely out there outfit like she had sometimes, but nice and formal nonetheless. She had also fixed up her hair just right, brushing it out and doing her best to look properly presentable. And of course, she put her own makeup on, and some simple earrings underneath all of her hair. She approved of how she looked today for the first day of the school year, and decided that other days she would go more "out there", or sometimes, go more "normal" but still probably be out there, as her normal every day stuff was still different and stylish in its own way. It was likely very rare she'd arrive to class in some simple clothes, though it wasn't entirely out of the question. If she did, she'd likely still stick with some cool looking shirt or something, at least.

With her, she quickly went off to her room, dropped her stuff off on her bed, then left, deciding she would organize it later in the day. Right now, she needed to go and find some of her friends. Which was easier said then done in a rather large school, so she texted her group of friends, which she had in a group text sort of chat, and eventually found them that way. Her friends mostly consisted of day students, but she had a couple of boarding student friends, too, and that would likely grow over the year as well, since it wasn't like she was against making friends with them if they were the right type of people. But right now, she was hanging out and catching up with her friends that involved being day students, talking about their summers (though they had kept in contact to some degree on that anyway), probably some gossip, and so on. Nothing particularly of note was said, just friends, who were mostly a group of girls at that, catching up with each other to get up to speed on their lives.

Karena Svendsen
Karena had recently landed in America, going through all the lovely things to make sure that she was legally allowed to be here in America as a foreign exchange student, like her passport and all that. For the first day of being here, she stayed in some basic motel by herself, doing nothing beyond really catching up on much needed jet lag sleep. It made her feel refreshed when next day she showed up and she was ready to arrive and board at Milford-Gaudier Academy. How she got there was by an Uber, as she figured that was the easiest way to do so when she had no semblance of a vehicle for traveling places. And once she did, she took all of her bags out and brought them inside to her dorm room, setting her things up on her side of the room, then like some of the others, would proceed to aimlessly wander the school, though she made more of an adventure out of it than anything, and wasn't at all against chatting with some people along the way if it came to it.

Lyanna Chambers
oday was the first day of the year, and Lyanna's first day at this school in general. She was fairly excited, as it was a start of a new adventure in her life, with being at a boarding school instead of a public school and away from her parents. Though, if her parents ever needed to visit, and if she ever needed to visit her parents, they weren't particularly far away. Which was good, she had to admit. It wasn't like she was on bad terms with her parents and was glad to be away from them, it was just that she wanted to do this for her own personal reasons. She planned to keep in touch with her parents regularly, and they could come and visit her as much as they wanted to. Nonetheless, she and her parents agreed it might be good for her to go to a boarding school, just for the experience. She didn't know how her known issues, like ADHD, and behavioral issues would go with little parental knowledge, though...That might end up going poorly. She was self-aware of her issues, but that didn't really mean you could prevent yourself from behaving that way. And personality wise she was just strange in general at times. But nonetheless, they thought it might be good for her to go to a boarding school.

Eventually, her and her parents made it to school itself, and she stepped out of the car and got her things out from within it. It was a little too much for her to carry in by herself, though, so her parents had helped her bring her things to her room. In there, they simply put it all on her bed for now, and she would sort through it later. And then, they gave their departure, though it didn't seem to be much of a sad one as she was still close enough to them that they would likely see each other regularly, so it was more like just an extended goodbye on a normal school day. Like as if your kid went to school for a week instead of for the day. Sure, there was still sadness from her parents of not being able to see her daily and all the time, and they were nervous about how she would behave without parental guidance around all the time, but nonetheless, they were also excited for her, and she did tell them that she would do her best to tell them what she could. At least what she could remember, and wasn't too terribly embarrassing. Because nobody really truly told their parents everything, even if they said that they did. There was almost always something you hid...

Scarlett Swift
Scarlett had a bit of a wild time getting to school, which didn't even surprise her really because she felt like everything in her world was a bit wild. Her dad had thought about giving her a flying ticket, but she had never flown before and didn't really want to start for some relatively short drive. So, instead, she took a long distance bus, which wasn't the most enjoyable experience for her. She didn't really like long road trips for one, and for two, the bus wasn't the funnest place to be. Especially with weirdos on it. Which, of course, with her luck, she had to end up on one with questionable people, making it quite the awkward 3 hour drive. Then, once she was actually in the general area, she had to figure out how to get to the school from there, because her father may have forgotten to figure that part out for her. After deciding to camp on the street for the night because she had left a day early, basically turning homeless for a night, she spent a good chunk of her time next morning figuring out how in the hell to get to school itself, and eventually, she got some sort of transport that took her directly there, but making her quite a bit later than the normal arrival time from most students, but early enough to not have missed the assembly. All through this, she had to lug around all her shit. Which wasn't the most fun. Moving somewhere else tended to involve bringing a lot of shit with you. Though some things they just decided to ship to the school, and would transfer to her room, but most of what mattered she could bring this way.

Even though she had been sitting in a vehicle for a while now, when she got all of her stuff into the hall of the school, she seemed to be a little worn out with heaving all of the shit around. But, nonetheless, she was trying to make due with what she had, and get it all to her room by herself, because she may have been a bit stubborn and wasn't one to ask for help when she probably should. Not that she was completely worn out now or anything, but it was certainly a jungle to get her stuff to where she needed to bring it to.

by **The Twelve Isles** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 9:40 am

Imperial Esplanade wrote:
School Quad

Blake shook his head, laughing a tad uncomfortably at an off-the cuff, and rather lewd, remark one of his teammates had made regarding a certain female he had been crushing on, once she crossed their paths. Opening his mouth to say something, he was caught off-guard as Jimmy appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Blake turned his body toward Jimmy, both similar in height and stature, and looked at Jimmy in the eye as he reciprocated the gesture, clasping hands and giving Jimmy a friendly, yet firm, handshake.

"Hey man!" Blake remarked, quickly turning to his teammates for a brief moment, who seemed to have slowly begun to walk away toward the fountain in the center of the quad. "Hey, guys! Catch ya'll later, alright?" Then, turning back to Jimmy, Blake stashed his hands into his pockets. "Jimmy... what's the last name? Sorry, it's been a busy morning. I'm just drawing a blank on the last name." He said, lightly rubbing his temple afterward.

"Barrow," said Jimmy. "Jimmy Barrow. "And don't worry about it if you couldn't remember, I always have trouble with names. And your last name is... Peterson, right?" Jimmy grinned widely, showing off a missing canine tooth. He had lost it when he was ten, and had always like it. He thought it gave his face character. Jimmy studied Blake as he spoke, looking him up and down. Blake was about the same height, but a little more muscled. And he seemed just a bit more put together, kind of like a stereotypical jock, though he seemed nice enough of a person that he couldn't be exactly like the stereotype. Not that Jimmy would have cared much either way, he had little concern for what people thought of him as person.

by **Federal States of Xathuecia** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 12:03 pm

Unlike Any Other Beginning

Luka Miranda

His steps were muffled by the rolling sounds of the two suitcases he pulled along, the wheels emitting a continuous scraping sound as they moved on the pavement. Luke looked down at his feet, his white converse already attracting pieces of dirt and soot from the New York airport and the city streets. The Uber driver had been fairly nice, meaning he had been quiet and sought no forced conversation, something he appreciated. Luke was never one to enjoy such artificial interactions despite his own personality driving him to commit such similar endeavours as well. But he pushed the thought away, it was no time for a self analysis--too early. He moved expertly through the campus, not particularly fast though despite knowing the best route through the quad.

It was a rather slow trek and he did not mind it much, finding it a good moment to reflect on the upcoming year. He had enjoyed his escapes throughout Europe over the summer but at times, well, more than once, it had felt a lonely retreat. He had made several friends along the way but it had been others that had done the philandering, not him. But it had sparked something, a sense that perhaps this year he should be more willing to tear down that defensive barrier he erected between his heart’s sentiments and his brain’s logical solidarity. Above that though, he remained dedicated towards reaserting himself as the Academy’s class president. His mind began to wander slowly into what he would say, his hand reaching into his windbreaker’s jacket for the white case holding one of his gifts for his birthday. Putting one in each ear, he began to search for some music to match the brainstorming mood he felt himself entering.

by **Kwadai** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 2:56 pm

Yixuan Zhu

Yixuan nodded, holding onto the map. “Thank you,” he replied with a smile. It could, if nothing else, be a souvenir of his year in America once he returned to China. But maybe it would come in useful at some point after all. Once Erin reiterated the fact she too was unaware of where they had to go it seemed almost uncanny that a teacher would just happen to pass by. The girl made the first move, to inquire about the whereabouts of the morning’s assembly. Yixuan turned his attention to the man to hear his answer, or at least that had been his intention. "It'll be in the gymnasium,” the teacher responded in what was another unfamiliar accent. ”Is everyone around here also a foreigner?” Yixuan asked himself. While he could understand, as the man spoke at a slower pace it still required more effort than usual to pick up on the pronunciation differences. However, they now had the answer they were looking for and the teacher simply continued on his way.

As he departed he suggested trying to make new friends and wandering around before the event began, not an unreasonable suggestion. Yixuan looked back at Erin when she asked him what he wanted to do with the time prior to the assembly. “I....” he started, not entirely sure himself. “It doesn’t start for a while. It’s not too far, so we don’t have to go there just yet,” he stated. “What’s your name?” he asked the girl, realising that would be a good way to start. “I’m Yixuan, here for the year from Shenzhen, in China,” he explained. Yixuan was eager to make friends at his new school. The same eagerness equally made him nervous though. Introductions and starting friendships had never been his strongest skill, but it was at least worth a shot.

by **Imperial Esplanade** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 3:59 pm

School Quad
Sophia Taylor

Smirking slightly, and turning her head to look over toward Ryan, although her voice expressing some semblance of uncertainty of the new life she had been given. "I mean..." Letting out an exhale, and gesturing about with her hands as she thought things over. "Honestly, I read a lot of different things. But, especially classic literature over the summer. In fact, right now, I'm in the middle of a book. Red Badge of Courage. It's, surprisingly, pretty good." Sophia comments.

A second or two later, her face tightened again into a grin, and she nodded her head toward Ryan. "But, yeah. It's sometimes just... pretty awesome to, like, get lost in that whole other world, I guess."

"But, honestly, I kinda want to write my own book one day. I think that would be so cool. To pour everything, life experiences, and imagine people. Create stories, maybe do a children's book too. I don't even know, really." She said, taking a deep breath after the long-winded ramble.

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

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