Autumn, Friday 15:00

The sky was clear and the sun shone brightly as a new scholastic year commenced at Arclight Academy. The school bustled with liveliness as students, their parents and alumni wandered through its halls. As custom, Headmaster Berkham stood at the front of the school cordially shaking hands with various school sponsors – notably, there was a larger amount than the year before assembled in front of him. The school had received a substantial increase of funds from the previous year in light of the protection the students during Hurricane Patricia. As a result, the school was considering a massive restoration project of the castle, while also initiating a number of other initiatives and a restructuring of the school faculty.

The Arclight Gallery had an array of students’ artistic works on display while a string quartet played in the foyer of the academy. A number of tables were set up inviting students to a myriad of clubs, internships and other opportunities on campus. Even a few local journalists meandered through the crowd, weaving together a story of how the darling private school had rebuilt its name following the tragic bus incident from two years before.

Miss Rachel walked through the crowd with a watchful gaze and a smile on her lips. She had become incredibly popular in her one year spent at the school. Having helped a lot of students in their preparation for university, exams, and an assortment of psychological issues both related and unrelated to the bus accident, many of the students had come to see her as a confidant of sorts. Her powers were still only slowly returning to her – which was a relief, as she was worried she had lost them altogether. While the bulk of her powers remained were out of her grasp, the familiar sense of knowing was slowly returning.

First year students and their parents were given a tour of the school by fourth and fifth year students, who regaled the history of Arclight Academy as well as the modern opportunities afforded of its current attendees. They introduced the young students to the various amenities offered by the school before taking them to the dorms where they were introduced to Mrs. Grey. The dorm mother warmly welcomed each student and assured the parents that she would look after the children “as if they were her own”. After which giving the student the Arclight welcome package which included a laptop, a pamphlet with a map of the school, an Arclight Academy pen, their schedules and a key card for their assigned room. As part of the increased funding, the PDAs were all replaced by much more modern tablets that were given to each student.

Returning students were permitted to retrieve their key card from Ms. Grey, return their old PDAs and pick up one of the new tablets before going to their assigned rooms.

As the day’s events came to a close, parents and guardians exited the premises and the school was left to the students and faculty. School would start on the Monday, while Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to school orientation activities and events.

Alice sat calmly at the edge of a fountain, inconspicuously away from the bustle. She watched Phora as she hoped around and looked in the grass for whatever she could find that was interesting.
"Alice, the button game tv, its up to no good, but i knew from before, that there's a place where we can buy mushrooms, that it can make out of the air."

"I see. You wish to compromise." She said.

"Well, i thought it would be neat to learn one of those plant medicine things my ancestors used to make. But when i went to buy them, the computer asked me the name of the guy who i buy them from. So i dont understand, do i get to choose who i get them from? And right next to that, a big blue bar said "Submit" on it! And i knew somehow that if i pressed that button it wouldn't know who i would buy them from unless i told it who. I knew that had to be it because it was right next to the naming thing." She turned towards Alice while twiddling her fingers in a thoughtful but confused manner. "So i typed in your name because If i was forced to submit to anyone else i would go beat that person up. Then when i touched it there were tons of things it wanted me to tell it. I just gave it to Sorbet and he didnt know what to do so he could only make it show us tv of this taco guy at a birthday party. There were balloons and stuff!" She giggled.

"Well, if you buy mushrooms on the internet, you would not be getting them from me." Alice patted her totems head as its eyes widened in awe as it tried to comprehend what the hell that thing wanted from her.

Phora eyed the thing as it sat on the fountain. "I think Sorbet could teach me how to use it. He doesn't get it either but hes very smart even though hes a bird who shoots fire out of his nose." The thing looked at Alice with a bit of worry. "I hope Sorbet doesn't make me useless."
She crouched down and eyed a small squirrel.
Before Phoras eyes lit up with excitement, Alice swiftly grabbed the pixie under her arms with a twirl and after she had
twirled 180 degrees, she hugged her with joy. Alice looked at her with a beautiful expression. "I don't care how useful you are! I want to see you happy, and I always want to be with you!" She hummed and kept twirling around, and the wind blew as if it was equally as pleased with the perfect picture it all created.

Mmhmm, I knew there would be a couple of you, didn't I? The little blonde girl praised herself, to herself, so that the butler sitting across from her wouldn't hear and scold her arrogance. She had figured a few students would set out to leave a first impression in their peers by showing up in a limousine, but Antilita Francheska Pavlushkin would not fall for such an easy trap. As soon as the one in front of her pulled away there was a clacker of hooves, as the carriage she rode in moved into place in front of the school she was soon to attend. Alan, the butler got out first though the front to open the door for her from the outside and lend his hand to help the girl down, he had to as she would have had a little trouble in her dress. Not her best one, of course, her goal wasn't to intimidate after all, just provide people a, ahem, subtle clue to who she might be.

As the carriage pulled away she took in the sight. It wasn't all the fancy things and new people the school had that filled up her soul, after all she was quite accustom to such things. No, that she was going to attend this school specifically, and even more, at the end of the day be left here, that excited her. Not visibly of course. She didn't want to upset Alan the Butler, nor her mother who he had on video call on the phone in his free hand, so she went about routine. She smiled at the students that arrived at the school with modesty, greeted staff and students that greeted her, and, once, stuck her tongue out at the boy who thought he was being cool by arriving in the limo ahead of her, when she knew she wouldn't be caught.

Antilita only lazily listened to the student helper that gave them the tour once that began. She already knew about as much a normal person could about the layout of the school from the research she had done, only really noting which individual offices housed each teacher, as those might have been changed around from last year. Luckily her mother was able to fill in a critical role of asking a million questions about everything. She hadn't been as involved as the house staff in Tilly's research.

When the tour was finally coming to a close and all that was left was meeting the dorm mother, Mrs Grey, it was all Tilly could do to smile extra big as her mother, half in tears alternated between thanking the woman and making her double promise to take care of her daughter. A smile that Mrs Grey returned to Tilly knowingly. But there was finally a time where her mother had to speak to her, and give a good-bye.

"Be good Tilly, and know that even though I'm not often there with you, I'll always be there for you, and somehow I'll miss you even more than I do normally."

It was enough to make the little rich girl break character and frown for just a second. Her eyes filling with mist it was all she could do to reply with, "Me too mom, it shouldn't be possible, but me too."

And like that her mother had to hang up and get back to whatever she was doing across the ocean, leaving Tilly and Alan alone in a sea of people, she had to send him off as well. The last few steps of her journey she wanted to take by herself and he understood. She took a deep breath before opening the door to her dorm room. It was after all the place she'd spend her first night away from anyone she knew.

---

There however was another girl attending Arclight this year with very different experience during the opening ceremony. Though it was this very school that had helped her to become less fretful the previous year, she couldn't help but slip into a bit of nervousness. Last year she had been an exchange student and missed the opening day. This year, well, circumstances were a bit different and she had actually woken up in her dorm room so this year she would technically be the first student here. Though it wasn't healthy to linger on that for now, she had set up plenty of time to investigate that mystery later. Instead she had promised to help with some events during the day for Ms Rachel, namely she'd be responsible for taking the first shift manning the Archive Club's booth for the day, making people disinterested in it if possible and they weren't already on the list, and informing others that they'd be considered, however the club was invite only, if they could not be cleverly swayed away.

It wasn't a particularly interesting outing, but that was good. She had never been one for attention. Still wasn't. But that changed as other students or faculty arrived at the other booths. Of course everyone setting up would have been in the school the previous year so they where bound to say hi, and Tsubaki would greet them back but eventually it wasn't just fellow club promoters that she had to deal with. Students new and old began to arrive to her booth, many with parents, which she did not expect for some reason, and her first challenge as an Omnivident began: Acting totally normal. She was going to have a rough time.

The woman and her totems had retreated tp their room. She sat upon her bed with a bag of blueberries, and she flicked them at Phora, who would catch them in her mouth. Alice's fingers had a little blue tint at the edges.

As she flicked one, Sorbet snatched it out of the air. Phora turned and pointed at Sorbet.

"Counting all the assholes in the room!" She said.

"Well I'm not alone!" Alice said.

"I'm not alo-o-one!" Phora said as Sorbet pushed her to catch the next one. She stamped her foot. "You're a liar, you're a cheater, you're a fool!" The pixie said.

"Well, that's just like me." His rumbling voice snarked. "and I know you too!" He looked at Alice.

"Mr. Perfect don't exist my little friend!" Alice said and wagged her finger at the Phoenix.

"And I tell you it again, and I do it again." The creature said as Phora blocked a blueberry bullet with the picture of Lloyd she had colored.

Phora peaked from behind the picture. "Counting all the assholes in the room, Well I'm
Definitely not alone, well I'm not alone..." Alice got them both with juicy blueberries, leaving blue marks. "Aaaaand... The liquid seems to color, all my favorite things in order!" She said as she pointed to Alice's fingertips.

Alice chuckled. "You know if you start spellsinging we're going to topple the entire dorm wing." Phora shrugged and sniffed.

"Daniels here! I'm going to go assault him!" She lept out the window with one acrobatic leap.

____________________

Daniel walked down the path to the schppl gates. He sensed a massive flood of spiritual energy about a half mile away. "Ah!!" He said and quickly made a wall of glass in front of him.

"Oof!" He heard as the pixie hit the glass a half second after. He opened his eyes and saw the girl sitting on the ground, rubbing her head.

"Ah! You've come to eat my lunch and take my pack, huh?" He said.

"No, i want McDonald's." Phora said as she righted herself.

Daniel rubbed the back of his head. "I don't have the money for that right now." The pixie pouted, and a blueberry struck Daniel on the temple. He looked to see Alice waving at him from the top of the school's side gate.

"Just get me french fries... It's like watching a dog eat peanut butter!" The pixie said as Alice leapt down.

"I'll have some delivered to the school!" She said. "But only one meal. We'll split it!" She poked Daniel on the cheek before they began to trudge to the school entry gate.

Lotus arrived along side her mother to the school. As Lotus got out of the car thoughts of a new school year both thrilled and nauseated her.
"Lotus did you pack everything?" Her mother questioned as she hovered over Lotus.
"Yes, Mom."
"Including your swimsuit? You qualify for the swim team and you've been practicing."
"Mom...Mom... I got it."
"I know... I just want my little flower to be safe and prepared."
"Mom. I'll be good and if not we only live like an hour away."
"Ok....Go get'em tiger."
Lotus grabbed her luggage before setting off into the school. She quickly dropped off her things in her room before setting out to find her friends, Namely Chantelle and Fiona.

---

Idelia rode up to the school on her motorcycle. She quickly popped up on the sidewalk, causing several civilians to dive out of the way before she drove up to the bike rack. She parked next to it and chained her cycle. She paused to take in her surroundings before heading off to find Miss Rachel. Id heard Miss Rachel wasn't up to full strength and Id needed to test her capabilities. Upon finding her the prankster approached her with a smile.
"Hey there Miss Killjoy. I got you a little something." Id reached into her bag before presenting a candle. "It's got a wooden wick so it makes the nice crackling of a campfire. I didn't know what scents you'd like so that one's vanilla. Here lemme show you!"
I'd took out her lighter and lit the candle. As she did Id opened an umbrella and gave Miss Rachel a smile. As Id began to chuckle at the thought of the sprinklers going off, Miss Rachel blew out the candle.
"Thank you, Miss Saxson. It's a beautiful gift." Miss Rachel smiled as she walked past Id.
"You know... You'd think I would've thought of you not using your powers, but I didn't."
Flustered Idelia thought it was about time to assert herself over her turf again. She began to hustle new years. Each received the same speech. "Hey there, I'm with the welcoming committee, several students are getting together and ordering pizza. Would you like to chip in $5?"

Upon arriving on campus, Joey's attention was immediately drawn to the string quartet playing in the foyer, his face lighting up as he turned to watch them. Beside him, his father followed Joey's line of sight and touched his shoulder to attract his attention. "Joonho-ya, you said you wanted to--"

"Check out the clubs, yeah," Joey replied, not turning to look at his father. "I don't think it'll take much longer for them to finish this piece, though." His father shrugged and waited patiently. Sure enough, a minute later the quartet had moved on to the next piece in their set, and Joey glanced over to his father with a smile. "Okay, now we can go." He darted off to the nearest table, his father trailing behind at a more leisurely pace.

An armful of pamphlets later, Joey was tuning out the words of the student tour guide while his father listened attentively and asked something about the faculty. When he nearly walked into the back of the person in front of him, Joey refocused and realized the tour had come to a stop in front of the dorms.

Ms. Grey seemed nice enough, smiling warmly when Joey's father thanked her for watching over his son. Joey's attention was quickly diverted upon receiving the welcome package. He'd known Arclight Academy was fancy, but he hadn't really processed it until he'd just been casually handed a personal laptop and tablet. Now he couldn't help but wonder how the funding for their theater program compared to the public school programs he'd been used to.

Joey and his father entered the dorm building and quickly found Joey's assigned room, stopping in front of the door. Joey's father set down the luggage he'd been carrying and turned to look at Joey, pride clear on his face, though there seemed to be some amount of concern in his expression as well. "Work hard, okay? This is a good school, you were lucky to get in. Set a good example for Myungho."

Joey resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd heard this spiel a thousand times since he'd been accepted to Arclight. "Okay, appa."

"Send us a message every few days to tell us how you're doing. Your mother gets worried."

"I'll just text Myungho, he can tell you how I'm doing."

"Don't text him too much. And stay safe--"

"I won't do drugs, I won't go to parties, I won't hang out with bad kids," Joey finished his father's sentence for him. He smiled and gave his father a hug when it was clear he couldn't think of any more fatherly advice to impart. "Tell Myungho he needs to study hard so he can skip two grades and get into Arclight with me."

A little awkwardly, Joey's father patted his back. "You can text him that yourself." As Joey released him and stepped back, he checked his watch. "My flight is in a few hours. If you need anything, you can call me." He turned and took a few steps, then stopped and looked back at Joey. "Joonho-ya, we're all proud of you."

Before Joey could think of a good response, his father had turned back around and left. Joey picked up his luggage and found his room key, unlocking the door and swinging it open. He wondered if his roommate would be here already--a 'Sam McDougal,' apparently. He was looking forward to meeting him.

There was really no need to make the trip down and arrive to school so early but here he was anyway. Amongst the earliest of students to arrive, he had already found his dorm room again and judging by the lack of any Daniel he surmised that his roommate wasn't actually around yet. That was fine, he didn't have any need to see any of his fellow club members in any immediate timeframe, even if he was deathly curious about whether or not anyone wasn't returning. That probably wouldn't be nearly as exciting or shocking as he figured. Fiddling with the bauble, he wondered if he should wait in his room or go out in public. Damian didn't think on it too long.

"Can't even nap if I wanted to." He grumbled to nobody in particular, shutting the door to his room and taking a quick peek behind him. Letting his sight linger on a boy that he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before, he waited for him to atleast enter his room before feeling safe enough to activate his field, just for a few seconds. Watching the lights flicker, he adorned a small smile before ending the disruption, making his way outside to where he'd seen all the empty booths. Of course they were all very much manned now and the place was very much active. That was fine, he'd just go around taking a look and... find Tsubaki managing the Darren Archive Club booth?

With a raised eyebrow, he nonchalantly blended into the line of parents and students, only really looking to eventually chat with her under the guise of discussing the club. Damian wasn't too sure how membership worked when it came to this but he doubted people would take kindly to him ignoring the line. Either way, he wasn't about to sit still and quiet. Taking note of the student in front, he whistled. "Hey, pal, kind of a weird choice isn't it? I heard this club's pretty boring."

OOC: Just as a note, since these are all intro posts, not every post will have been responded to in this one. The next post will essentially be the first club meeting, so you have relative flexibility to fill that timeframe.

Evelyn felt incredibly self-conscious walking next to her sisters. Their tendency to draw attention to themselves by merely existing was a bother to the girl. This was only further amplified by the new haircut she had gotten at the behest of her sister Helena. The bob was a drastic change for her, and while she liked it, she felt incredibly aware of the difference now that she had returned to school. Even as they walked through the halls idly, Evelyn couldn’t help but feel the sensation of eyes watching the four sisters as they passed by. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but none of her sisters gave any indication that it affected them either, so she remained silent while the three reminisced of their time spent at Arclight.

She wished that Max or Logan was there with her, but Logan had transferred to another school in Scotland to become better acquainted with his ancestors, and Maximilian had returned to homeschooling at the behest of his father. She maintained contact with them, flying to see them occasionally or speaking with them online, but it was not the same as having them here alongside her. Still, she had her best friend Bernice, who was now “touched” after her supernatural experience earlier in the year. On one hand, she was glad that she no longer had to hide a side of herself from her friend, but on the other hand, it potentially exposed Bernice to a whole new world of danger. At the least, it made the girls even better friends.

Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief, unaware that she had been holding her breath, once she entered her dorm room. Her sisters fluttered about the room excitedly, catching up with Bernice who had arrived earlier and marvelling over her new braids and their beautiful gold clasps. After a series of goodbyes from her sisters, Evelyn fell back on her bed unceremoniously with her arms splayed out above her head, glad that they were finally gone.

------------------------------------------------------------

Chantelle looked up from her assigned club table with a warm smile as she saw Lotus approach. There were a few students interested in joining the Gardening Club this year and she was quite pleased. It would be her last year in school, and she was hoping to have enough members to keep the club alive after she had graduated.

“Lotus,” she said while getting up from her chair and hugging the white-haired girl “It’s so good to see you. We’ve got a few interested prospects for the Gardening Club this year,” she said while indicating to the clipboard on the table.

****

Fiona was incredibly stoked to be back in school. Her summer vacation had been mind-numbingly boring, or at least, she felt it was in comparison to her school year. Granted, not much could compare to saving the world from Armageddon, but still, anything would have been better than a month at a summerhouse in Maine. Glad to have to returned to Darren City and civilization, Fiona was really looking forward to seeing her friends. She couldn’t wait to catch up with Lotus!

After dropping her things off in her room, she was pleasantly surprised to find that Lotus’ stuff had already been left in the room. Smiling to herself, Fiona made her way to the club stands, knowing quite well that Lotus and Chantelle would be there.

****

“Hey girls!” said Fiona with a smile while waving at the two of them “How were your summers? Is it weird to say that I’m sooo glad to be back?” She giggled.

Fiona momentarily froze as she caught sight of the nearby Arclight Archive Club. She couldn’t help but be distracted as she spotted Damian in the distance. It was obvious she had a crush on him, but after the whole possession thing, and then that thing when she kind of got distant with him while training with Johnny, and then the other thing where she Damian and Evelyn were fooled by some psycho Spiritorum who tried to end the world, there wasn’t really any time to move things forward after the Winter Ball.

Chantelle looked at Lotus with a knowing glance and chuckled.

----------------------------------------

As if on cue, Sam McDougal burst into the room with his luggage in tow. Realizing that there was someone else in the room, he froze and then realized who the stranger was. Immediately dropping his things onto the ground, the boy nearly glided over to Joey’s side with a hand extended.

His skin was quite pale and freckled, and his hair was an unruly mass of black curls. His eyes were a brilliant green, twinkling with mirth as he greeted what he hoped would be a new friend.

“Hullo!” he said in a notable Scottish accent “Ma name’s Sam! Pleasure tae meet ye!” He shook Joey’s hand enthusiastically then stepped back to look at their room. “Would ye look at this?! A’m here in America! Ne’er seen so rich a skewl in aul me life! Pure grand it is!”

-----------------------------------------

Adi sat silently at a club booth with his arms crossed, leaving the clipboard of the officially established Martial Arts Club resting on the table without much care. Students occasionally wandered toward the booth to put their names down, but his air of intensity frightened most of them off. This didn’t bother the young man, as it only indicated that they were not dedicated enough to join the club. If anyone was going to join the club, he wanted it to be someone who was disciplined and dedicated enough to face his hardened stares as they signed up.

In truth, Adi never wanted the club to become official, but it was either that or they would no longer be allowed to train on the premises. That, and Li said it would look good on his transcripts as they prepared for university. His last year at Arclight Academy, this was a consideration he had to take in almost everything he did now. His grades were all good enough, but he still wasn’t quite sure where he would go or what he would even do. His father wanted him to be a doctor and his studies in biological sciences had been successful, but he felt like he lacked a true passion behind it. Miss Rachel had mentioned that there were omnivdence-associated universities, but he wasn’t sure he wanted that either; greater omnivident society seemed dubious to him after the War of Souls. Li had hinted at the two of them going to university together, and as welcoming as the thought was, he wasn’t sure that was the best alternative – it seemed the easy way out. Still, he was glad for Li’s support.

-----------------------------

Li had a lot of hope going forward in his final year of Arclight Academy. He had spent the summer with Adi as they toured a number of universities throughout the country. All the potential schools seemed quite exhilarating, and some of the older ones even had a noted omnivident presence. Many of these omnivident individuals lived fairly mundane lives, with their gifts taking a backseat to a fairly conventional lifestyle – that is, excluding events such as the War of Souls. It gave Li the sense that he could eventually step away from the more supernatural aspects of his life to focus on becoming a pediatrician.

As co-President alongside Alice, Li’s responsibilities had increased. Li had always been a mentor to the younger students, but now he had to learn how to take command, which was going to be something quite new for the young man. Miss Rachel had already briefed Alice and himself on the returning students for the new year, and was surprised with the number, but understood each of the student’s decisions. Logan was in Scotland connecting to his ancestors. Maximilian was now being homeschooled, his father finding the school’s activities frivolous. Johnny was in Italy studying at an extensive sigil library housed in the Vatican. Derrek had transferred to a normal school, not really interested in continuing a life of omnividence. Lloyd, although still dating Alice, likewise returned to his school, his duty no longer required in Darren City. Although they had lost five, the team was still strong, and the junior years had really stepped up to the plate. Above all he had Adi, who supported him in everything he did.

Li waded through the crowd of students looking to join clubs, pleased that Tsubaki was now joined by Damian at their Arclight Archive Club booth. Li looked forward to seeing the team again. He looked forward to the team meeting that would summon them to the club meeting room, and the future new recruits who would be invited.

“Glad to see the both of you have things going steady over here” he said with a smile.

--------

Upon entering the room, Antilita came upon Camille, her roommate, who was humming to herself as she idly fiddled with her new tablet. The sound of her entrance was enough to grab the attention of the girl, who immediately looked up and smiled at the girl.

“Oh, you must be Antilita!” she said with a smile “I’m Camille, pleasure to meet you.” The girl had very curly hair that bounced as she walked. Her skin a light caramel and her eyes a bright hazel as she examined the new girl before her. It wasn’t with any malintent, but it was clear that the girl was trying to figure out if her new roommate was going to be mean or friendly.

Lotus was thrilled that Chantelle was still at the school. She eagerly hugged her friend back as Chantelle pointed out the club sign ups.

"Oh good...More... members." Lotus trailed off as see skimmed over the names. It was then that Lotus's ears caught Fiona's voice among the banter. Lotus watched Fiona as she stared at Damian. Lotus wanted to help but she was the last person who should be giving relationship advice. She shrugged in reply to Chantelle's chuckle.
"My summer was crazy. It had a lot of..Um...adjusting. You know since it's the first summer without..." Lotus trailed off as she thought about he father. "I mean we also moved which was a nightmare. Mom wanted to be closer to Darren should anything happen. And then there was the whole break up with Daniel...And the training to join the swim team... But enough about me what about you guys? How did you all fair?"

((Jack & Deci co-post))

"...So yeah, kind of boring right? Still if you do get an invite we'd be happy to have you. Lots of work, and so little free time." The final words Tsubaki said to the student weren't even a lie, which made being genuine a little easier at least.

After the kid had left she made a quick note detailing her difficulties with this one and called, "Next," in her small voice. "Hi, can I get your name real qui- Damian? What are you doing in line?" Her head c*** to the side.

Damian stared intently at the back of the students head throughout the conversation, a frown making clear his displeasure to nobody in particular. It had been a short conversation and a difficult one, all so they could receive a similar spiel from Tsubaki. At least he could figure out why exactly Tsubaki was running this booth.

Holding back a snicker as she didn't notice him immediately, he cleared his throat and leaned forward slightly. "Glad you recognized me. I'm uh... wondering what you're doing at the booth actually. No offense but you're the last person I expected here."

"It's a long story," She replied with a huff. "Short answer though, would probably just be a shrug. You should have seen _my_ face when I realized I was here. I thought I was headed to a concert in Kotoko." She let out a soft laugh and rubbed her forehead.

Cracking an interested and amused smile, he chuckled with her in turn. Sparing the slightest headturn and glance at whoever might be behind him, he turned back to Tsubaki with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like blackmail to me, do we need to tussle with Adi or something? That a****** nickname's gotta exist for a reason. Who knows if he's got this sadistic fun in forcing students to run booths?" Deadpanning trailed off into obnoxious intensity on his face and in his voice, like a gruff action movie star.

"I wish, but I've got the short list and no Derrek this year. Who'd take take our hits for us while we did the heavy lifting?" She threw her hand across her collarbone as though a damsel in distress. But soon took a more worried look and handed the boy a clipboard. "Looks like a lot of the guys are going to be out this year."

His grin gradually crumbled as he took an in depth look at the contents of the clipboard. "Whew, you weren't kidding about short list. Sucks Derrek and Johnny aren't here but... I guess I'm not too heartbroken over some of these. Don't think Max would've warmed up to me unless I got brown hair and changed my last name to St. Augustine, among other things."

"He wasn't that bad. A lot of us from those kinds of families tend to be kind of weird shut-ins I guess." She kept her tone pretty even, sure Damian would know what she meant without needing to broadcast it to any nearby listeners. "Besides," she folded her hands across one another and set her chin on them, looking a bit off to the side towards another certain both. "I think you've got an admirer of your own." Her field of view didn't include Li quickly approaching to greet the two chatty teens.

"Oh." In a mumbled reply, he blinked slowly before nodding just as slowly in understanding. "Yeah that's fair." Flashing a quick smile, he held the clipboard closer, glancing with curiosity at her. Interest piqued, he gave a confused frown before turning in the same direction, only spotting Li as the most obvious approaching figure. "Uhuh, I have many questions." Raising a baffled eyebrow at Tsubaki, he set the clipboard back down. Giving a short and lazy impression of a military salute, he crossed his arms after. "Hey, oh that, almost entirely Tsubaki's work to be honest. I only softened up like one kid really."

"Still didn't go down easily though, so I appreciate the help." She blinked. "Also hello! Good to see you again Li."

---

Of course, in hindsight it was obvious she'd arrive to her room later than her roommate. This was the cost of arriving in style after all. Though this wasn't the time to ponder that, as the girl approached fast, and Antilita would need to act quickly to put space in between them. She full curtsied.

"Camille? Yes, a pleasure. I must admit I hadn't had time to check my roommate's name, but if you know mine I'm sure I'm in the right place." She patently waited as the other girl ogled her, as she had countless time before for others. Then continued when she was sure Camille was focused. "You don't mind if I get your schedule do you? I plan on having some of my servants deliver my other bags sometime this week, and I'm happy to plan around you as to not disturb your going ons."

A few minytes later, Alice and her totems arrived at the bopth with Daniel following behind. Phora was carrying two huge cardboard cases of french fries, having changed the deal with the takeout food after a hand of poker. She was still wearing her lucky mustache as she jumped on the table to greet Tsubaki, however the stache fell off.

"Tsubaki! Damian! How is the boot" Phora asked. She placed the french fry holders on the table and offered Tsubaki a hot, crispy fry. "Open wide!"

Alice looked at Phora with a huff. But then she looked at Tsuabki with a smile. "Thank you for manning the booth... Aince the fight with the demon prince, I've felt it hard to deal with all the regular students..." She loomed a bit aomber. "I'll be back to normal soon... Maybe..." Daniel walked up and offered Damian a high five.

Phora kept offering Tsubaki the french fries with a cute happy expression.

As Sam shook his hand with vigor, Joey immediately decided he liked his roommate. Sam seemed the friendly type, so they'd doubtlessly get along well. "Pleasure to meet you too, Sam, I'm Joey! Welcome to the US, we have the esteemed Arclight Academy!" Saying this in a dramatic voice, Joey threw out his hands for an extra theatrical flair, then laughed at himself and put his hands in his pockets. "Which, man, I didn't know students came here from overseas. Have you never been to America before?"

Once introductions were over and Joey was pretty certain he and Sam were going to be fast friends, he pulled out his phone to excitedly text Myungho about meeting his new roommate. When no response came after a few minutes, Joey sighed and reluctantly set to the task of unpacking his luggage, making sure he was ready for his first real day at Arclight tomorrow. He wanted to make the best impression he possibly could.

The rest of the day remained jovial as the children unpacked their things and settled in to their new lodgings. It would take some adjusting for the new students as they got to know their new roommates. In some cases, it had gone off without a hitch – such as Joey and Sam, while in others, friendship had yet to blossom – which was the case for Camille and Antilita.

The returning members of the Archive Club used the evening to have an informal get-together at Tea Tyme to kickoff the new school year. They ordered various pots of aromatic teas and sweet pastries as they caught up with each other and shared their adventures over the summer holidays. Even Adi and Evelyn, who usually avoided such trifle moments, actively regaled their summertime experiences. It was quite noticeable that their numbers had fallen, but the smaller group felt quite intimate; they had all been through so much together. Interestingly, aside from the presence of Phora, Sorbet and Ego, there was little mention of the supernatural. It was a rare moment in which the kids were simply just kids – an adjustment for some and a longing for others.

******

As the school stirred about with orientation ceremonies and the like, the following day was quite mundane. Still, there was something different in the air, it was an uneasy anxiousness, as if something were waiting to happen. Miss Rachel paced about her room, trying to put her finger on something that she couldn’t quite tell was going to happen, or perhaps had already happened. This lack of awareness troubled her, and was a bit frustrating as well, without her powers at their full capacity, she sometimes felt as if she were blind. Perhaps it was something the children would be able to unravel? She was proud of her kids and looked forward to seeing them together again before her. Looking at her watch, she figured now would be an appropriate time. She walked over to her computer screen and sent the message.



Moments later, the returning Archive Club members received a notification on their tablets indicating the call for the first club meeting of the year. Each of the students left whatever they were doing and entered the familiar classroom that they had been to oh so many times before.

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Walking towards the room, Evelyn couldn’t help but smile as she remembered her first day in the Archive Club meeting room. It seemed so long ago, but it had only been a year. As she walked through the door, she was shocked by a familiar presence. He remained unseen, but Evelyn knew he was watching, just beyond the veil. Fiona had not noticed it, but Damian was trained enough to feel it immediately as well.

“I think” she began hesitantly “That’s Sir William.” The presence she felt had to be his, but could it truly be? After the ritual conducted by the rogue Spiritorum, many of the ghosts in Darren City had disappeared – including Sir William. She had just assumed they were consumed by the spell. A wave of emotional energy passed through the more sensitive Spiritorum as well as Li, indicating a sense of mischievous glee. She smiled and took her seat in the classroom as the others did as well. Shortly afterwards, the new members would join as well.

Tsubaki was glad she managed to fend of phora's fried advances the day before, since it seemed Miss Rachael had no intent in starting the year off slow, and having greasy food on her stomach was not ideal for whatever she had planned. After changing into her tracksuit she jogged to the clubroom, stopping just short. She hadn't actually attended the first meeting last year and it occurred to her she didn't really know what was about to go down. Well at least her being there wouldn't be a surprise, she'd seen most everyone throughout the day prior visiting various club booths, and Id was in her grade so she was in all the same first day meetings. Well maybe 'all' would be pushing it. 'Enough to count' sounded right.

The only ones she hadn't seen were the newcomers to the club and Evelyn, who she found as soon as she entered the door, along with a few of the other students. She greeted them with a smile, "Good evening guys! Evelyn! I hope you've been well, and I like what you've done with your hair."

Remembering Evelyn wasn't someone that didn't like too much attention at a time she turned to Fiona. "Hey Fiona," she got a sheepish look on her face. "Could you help me get my hair into a braid? It's just so long now a normal ponytail doesn't keep it held back well when I exercise, and I hate to put you out of your way or anything, but it's hard to do on my own."

---

An Archive Club meeting so soon? Antilita didn't expect it, but in hindsight it made sense. Honestly any club would just to preform role call at least. Though gym attire? She didn't know that the club was supposed to be a pretend sports club or something as it's cover. Archive Club sounded a bit more, bookish and nerdy.

Oh well. She put on her normal training outfit, a pair of black shorts and matching top with a single vertical line of orange running down the left side of them, then the school gym jacket to keep from getting in trouble for having a bare midriff in the halls and headed out. She had played out the trip in her head plenty of times before but actually doing it in person was surreal. These were the actual walls, and this was the actual door. Wait, the door, so soon? She didn't think about what she was supposed to do once she actually got here. This was where the daydream ended. She put her hand on the handle but quickly withdrew it. Surely you couldn't just barge in, right, come on. She took a second to recompose and lightly knocked on the door instead.

Lotus walked with Fiona from their room to the club. Enjoying the conversation. She had put on some comfortable shorts and a shirt. Both white with black trim. She carried her dufflebag with a couple spare changes of clothes. Upon reaching the club room she found a space to herself before she began stretching. She wasn't sure what they'd be doing but she thought it'd be nice to get prepared for an exercise.

---

Idelia got the message with a sigh. She trudged off toward the archive club. But the was no way she was changing into that uncomfortable gym outfit the school provided. As she arrived at the club entrance she decided to instead lean against the nearby wall and haze any newcomers she saw. As she waited she counted the money she made earlier. Then a smaller girl caught her attention. Id watched the reach for the door handle before stopping. The was an almost awkward pause before the girl knocked. Id rolled her eyes before speaking loudly.
"Oh my god. It's a door. You open them." Id shoved the girl before opening the door and stepping back to her spot on the wall. "Seriously what is with you people and doors?"