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Sorachi Kišo || Kirin Dorms /
Ravenshadow Dew snowheart1 --
Oh, he already anticipated this part but had yet to make peace with it...
Sorachi bites the inside of his cheek as the Azures are divided up between Hounds, waving to the other...friends? Acquaintances? He's made before turning to Ryuzaki. Of course they'd been separated plenty before, he could only visit the oni's village under the excuse of visiting his grandparents- but they'd been inseparable during their recent period of training, even sharing a room. He'd quickly gotten accustomed to falling asleep to the sound of Ryuzaki's breathing, often venturing over to cajole him awake whenever a night terror disturbed his rest. Who would console him now? Would he be able to get along with his fellow Amaroks? He's already at a disadvantage as an oni cambion! It doesn't seem like there are many cambions in that House to begin with-
"Oi." Ryuzaki lightly wraps his knuckles against the onmyōji's head. Of course his idea of 'light' leaves much to be desired and Sora hisses with pain, attempting to bat away his hand and rub at the sore spot simultaneously. "Ow! What-"
"I can literally hear you thinking 'what if he gets cold?!' I'm not a child. You know I lived a life without you." He huffs, eyes narrowed and chin lifting with his usual casual arrogance. Ah, he's offended that Sorachi worries for him. Well too bad.
"Barely!" The shorter boy grumbles, "When I met you, you were eating yuzu with the peels on!"
"So?! That doesn't mean-"
A lightly cleared throat interrupts their stirring argument, and Sorachi's face goes red when the prefect from Kirin smiles patiently at him. "I don't mean to interrupt-" He begins and Sorachi tries not to splutter. He manages not to sidle behind his friend, at least. "I'm so sorry! I'm coming!"
Ryuzaki crosses his arms, unaffected. "I'll see you in class, Sora."
But then his mouth curves just a bit and he ruffles midnight hair as the Kirin slinks past. "We're still on the same team so you can badger me all you like. Relax a bit, won't you?"
Sorachi physically cannot. Ryu was almost killed and his place in the school is still in question and he's Already made an enemy of someone and apparently demons are running rampant and the Headmistress herself said they're barely keeping up- but as he glances back, trying not to look as harried as he feels- Ryuzaki is still standing there with one of his rare, encouraging smiles. There's ambient chatter of the other Azures as they're led away but Sora can read his lips. 'We'll be okay.'
He really wants to believe that.
Without his ever-present shadow at his side, Sorachi is left to manage his anxiety on his own. He finds himself somewhere near the center of the group with Miss Ada, steadily releasing the tension from his shoulders as for once, he fails to keep up with the soft words of their new guide. He had been walking ahead of her, but caught sight of her anxious face on another look back and slowed his stride to match hers. She was clasping her hands together, and he wryly acknowledged that he'd like to do the same.
Their prefect leads them to a portion of the fortress that is comprised of lighter stone, glittering in the torchlight like sunlight on the shores of an azure sea. They don't have to walk far before they come upon large double doors of polished wood, engraved with a forest scene featuring a herd of grazing kirin. The foremost one looks ahead as if judging those who wish to enter, and Sora's eyes widen when it bows its antlers and steps aside. The doors glide open on silent hinges, revealing the bottom of a spiraling tower with a trio of golden wrought platforms that move like magic elevators. There are runes engraved into their handrails and vines tied around each corner suggest some sort of pulley system.
Mr Beaumont guides the Azures to the center platform and turns to address them.
"Our dorms are in one of the eastern spires, with the common rooms up top. Dorms are divided between nine floors. You'll have girls on the right and boys on your left. Each dorm comes with its own ensuite bathroom, but there are more leading off from the Common Room." He gestures to the hallways cut into the glittering rock that they pass as the platform ascends. There is no way the tower has space for halls and rooms- it must be magically expanded! "If you will tell me your room number, one at a time, I'll show you how to reach it."
The dimunitive ginger Sorachi had noticed earlier- Latharn?- is among the first to get Mr Beaumont's attention, and the older student smilingly looks over his solid ornate key. "Seven notches means you're on the seventh floor. Three rings means that you're in dorm 703." He then turns to the guardrails of the platform and runs a hand over a carved flower bearing seven petals. The platform halts its ascent and begins moving down toward the desired floor.
"This is how you choose your floor." He moves aside so that the others can catch his actions. "The number of petals indicates the floor number, see?"
Sorachi slips his key out of his pocket to find that it's identical to Latharn's, with a marble fob bearing the room number, and glances at the other boy with some trepidation. He has a quiet intensity that is familiar, but still reads as intimidating. He hopes they can at least get along. Latharn's fiery hair is cut symmetrically and his clothing is very no-nonsense- a crisp charcoal button up with black slacks tucked into his boots and similarly colored gloves on his hands. The other Kirin occasionally straightens his gloves or smooths out his clothing, suggesting a neat and meticulous nature. Rooming with him would be a far cry from Ryu's messy way of living.
He's relieved to see that Miss Ada is nearby, at least. She's on the seventh floor as well but the opposite side in dorm 716. "I- see you soon." He hopes he doesn't come off too awkward, favoring her with a smile before leaving the platform with the rest of the floor seven Kirin. He and Latharn silently come to a halt before a wooden door stenciled in maple blossoms.
"Um, hello! I-I'm Kišo Sorachi." It makes sense to introduce himself now, it's apparent they'll be roommates after all. "It's a pleasure to-"
"Armistice Latharn." Is the dry response. Without looking at him, the other Kirin turns the key in the lock and steps into the room. He leaves the door open at least.
Sorachi hurries in after him, muttering the rest of his greeting more out of habit than anything. He looks out into a quaint room shaded in what he now knows to be the Kirin House's official colors. There are two sets of beds on either side of the room, each with flowered privacy screens. The center of the room appears to be a lounge area with comfortable chairs and a low table set before a large round window. There are trunks at the base of each bed and handles set into the walls suggest built-in closets. There are also empty vases on the flat surfaces- such as the coffee table and the few shelves set into the same wall they'd entered from. The whole atmosphere is rather cozy, and Sora finds himself smiling as he closes the door behind him. His smile widens when he sees his luggage neatly set in one corner of the room.
The other side holds the luggage he assumes belongs to his other roommates, and Latharn makes a beeline toward it while Sorachi sets his syllabus on a tall end table. The center table holds folded Felblanc uniforms and upon further inspection, he finds a card bearing his name as well as the time and location of his first class. They have 30 minutes to get ready and make their way toward the first class of the day, Close Quarters Combat.
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Theron Jaeger || The Arena /
Dew --
Theron watched his opponent intently, attempting to read the brief play of emotions on Atlas' face- but is soon forced to give up. He's not exactly skilled at reading people. Or the room. But he's great with body language as it translates to combat! So it evens out! Kinda.
It's important that he doesn't get cocky, though. Atlas has more experience And supernatural physicality. Theron can't use his own meager magic to enhance his body right now, so he'll need to keep his distance. The advantages that he Does have comes in the form of long-range weaponry and a fighting style that is offensively defensive. The cambion has never fought him before, and that works in his favor as well. The Amber is proud to say that the fighting style he and his cicerone have crafted comes as a surprise to many- he can probably credit a few of his victories to being unpredictable, and that's what he has to channel now. Ah, without being too confident! Right! In any case, this is just a spar. It's more about learning than anything. He'd be satisfied irregardless of who wins~ His grades are good enough that he doesn't have to worry about getting top marks right out of the gate anyway.
The brunet is nodding to himself with a smile when Atlas speaks up, and he blinks back to the present with a faint flush to his cheeks. "Oh, sure!" Before the last syllable is out of his mouth, he's drawn a handgun and immediately starts firing at the cambion's chest. Theron has been working on his quick draws lately~
Shield up, he maintains fire while walking to the right, circling Atlas in an effort to make him move in the opposite direction. They've been tasked with controlling friendly fire, and their current position would put him in danger of hitting another duo who have already locked blades.
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Aliyah Bridges led her fellow Basilisks on a winding route that leads deeper into the fortress, taking it as an opportunity to introduce them to the Campaign and Artifact Rooms. "We can't look inside today because they're in use. But if you become a good enough exorcist, the school will let you choose a legendary weapon as your own!" She can't help gushing, amber eyes shining. "Almost all of the Cliarthairi have one! I heard that they even have Fragarach and Kladenets!"
She looked longingly at the Artifact Room before moving on with a sigh and a mutter of 'one day'. "But today, we should hurry so that you don't miss your first class. Come on, pick up the pace now!"
The Basilisk Dorms are revealed to be hewn into the mountain itself to accomodate for cambions that favored darkness or were sensitive to light. The glow of magic crytals set into the ceilings kept the corridor lit and maintained a comfortable temperature as they went down a short series of steps that lead to large double doors carved of stone and inlaid with greenish metals. The metals formed the mosaic of a monstrous reptilian creature with eight legs curled around a spear. Its burnt orange eyes flashed as Aliyah neared, and the doors slowly swung outward with a creak. The Basilisk's Common Rooms are revealed first. A large open space formed mainly of stone and decorated with their House colors. It appears to be mostly left untouched from how it was found, with the odd nooks, crannies, and corners that come with a cave. Shelves, seating, and tables are scattered throughout to make it more comfortable while still retaining its natural beauty. The dorms are revealed to be short tunnels that lead off from the central cave, with doors placed irregularly around the space. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to them, with some walls clustered with doors and others more sparse. There are even doors placed above others, with stone steps growing from the walls to reach them. In fact, a good number of doors are placed higher along the walls and creep upward toward the high ceiling and its trio of chandeliers.
Aliyah stands near the center of the room so that she can be heard. "Your key will have the room number attached. If you still have questions, come to me."
Athrwys is among the first to figure out his room number: 505, but finding the door is another matter entirely. The doors are painted with their numbers but not every door is visible. He paces the perimeter of the Common Room with key in hand until he comes upon one nearest the entrance, halting at the same time as a tall dark-haired sorcerer. He straightens with an easy smile, giving a lazy wave. This one is...Octavian Hemlock. "Hey roomie~ Name's Athrwys. Nice t'meet'ya."
He hides an assessing look with the careless pass of his hand through golden hair, analyzing the other Azure's posture and demeanor with a pensive hum. Whatever his magic is, the innately 'pure' nature of Athrwys' own rejects it. Finds it distasteful. How interesting~
"You're free to do the honors~" He makes a show of waving the other student toward the door and steps in after him with an arched brow at the room's strange configuration. It really is just a hole in a rock. The shape is irregular but the walls are at least smooth stone. There are two sets of bunk beds on either side with a small terrarium-looking object in the center full of unfamiliar plants. There are seats around it as if it's some kind of focal point, and it might as well be because their windows are too high to see out of, roughly square openings that at least let in natural light. There are trunks at the end of each bed, desks with built-in shelving on the far wall, and wardrobes along the wall at the head of each bed.
He sees that what little luggage he had was placed neatly to the side, but before he can approach it, the folded uniforms placed on one of the cushioned benches catches his eye. One of the two sets has a card with his name and the name & time of his first class scrawled on it. CQC in 30, then. Athrwys takes them both and makes for what he assumes to be the door leading to a bathroom. He's relieved to find that he's right (finding the restrooms in the middle of the night in this place has to be a pain) and changes quickly. They don't have long before they have to trapaise about looking for their first class.
When he emerges however, Aliyah Bridges is still in the Common Room and apparently waiting to remain their guide a little longer. Which is a definite relief because even with a map, Athrwys is horrible at directions. He even hangs around his new roommate, just in case he'd been able to retain their route.
