Autumn, Friday 15:00 (3:00 PM)
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The halls of Arclight Academy were bursting with activity as various students, both old and new, entered the school for the beginning of yet another school year. Headmaster Berkham stood at the front of the school cordially shaking hands with various sponsors of the school, while the Arclight Albatross “Ross” danced about in foyer. The Galleria was filled with various artworks of students from the previous year, while a string quartet comprised of students played a lighthearted tune. Student Central was even more packed as various tables advertising the numerous clubs the school had to offer.

First year students and their parents were paraded through the school by 4th and 5th year student volunteers and were given a brief history of the school while also showcasing the various amenities of the school. Eventually they were taken to the dorms where they were introduced to Ms. Grey who sincerely reassured the parents that she would watch over the children “as if they were her own”. She then gave each student a “Welcome to Arclight Academy!” backpack which included a laptop, a PDA of sorts that worked more like an iPod, a pamphlet with a map of the school, an Arclight Academy pen, their schedules and a key card that allowed students to get into their assigned rooms.

Returning students were allowed to simply retrieve their key card from Ms. Grey and head straight to their rooms.

As parents left, some with tearful goodbyes, and limousines pulled away from the school, a semblance of order began to return to the school. School was to start three days later on Monday granting them some free time.

Logan gave his parents a farewell wave as they pulled away from the school, watching intently as they disappeared from view. As soon as he was sure they were out of sight, he threw off his suit jacket and tie, hastily stuffing them into his luggage bag. His mother had simply refused to listen to reason, insisting that he be dressed "properly". It had been nigh-miraculous that she had allowed him to wear a green dress shirt underneath the stuffy, overly flamboyant outfit. After giving his slicked hair a good ruffling, he was finally presentable.

As he stepped up to the large double-doors that marked the entrance to the academy, Logan couldn't help but feel anxious, but it was the kind of anxiety that was indicative of the beginning of a grand adventure. While it was already his second year attending the school, the place's novelty never seemed to diminish, especially after a Summer spent in his dull old mansion. The first year at the school had been quite an experience.

Choosing his Arte had come naturally, as his fascination with his ancestry had made Antiquarum the obvious choice to opt for. Discovering his abilities had been a remarkable journey all its own, and learning how to cope with the ability to see the spirit world had been quite the boon. In fact, the very fact that his parents had discovered this place had in and of itself been a godsend. He didn't know what he would have done if they had pulled him out when...

Logan nipped that chain of thought in the bud. There was much work to be done, and no time for reflecting on the past. Logan still needed to figure out what lucky son-of-a-gun would have the privilege of being his roommate, find his dorm, unpack, and get his class schedule. At this point, the obvious course of action would be to wander around and meet as many of the freshmen as possible.

Without a second thought, the enthusiastic extravert meandered into the academy in search of new faces.

Basil ignored the crowds and pushed his way through the front gate of the academy. One more year to go and then his experiment would be over and he could look back on his observations and understand why people choose such a place to study. There was little he enjoyed about the school and he could not really grasp why people would choose this form of education that barely emphasized the humanities and focused on bogus extra-curricular activities. To make matters worse for him, he was called out to help lead a club, something he would have never chosen to do at all in his life.

Shaking the thought of it away, he walked down the halls, defying the dress code once again. This year he decided to push them further by growing facial hair over the break, but even he knew it was useless as most of the staff came to grips with the fact that he was an outsider trapped within the system. Much to his chagrin, his blatant defiance made him well known throughout the student body as well and as he walked by students stared at him and chatted amongst themselves. It was hard to be an observer when he was as part of the atmosphere as everyone else.

He approached Ms. Grey, glaring at her with the same expression he gave her every returning year.

"I insist that you do not persist in calling me a child this year, Julian," he stated preemptively, anticipating her response. "It is in your nature to dote, but my mother did not and so you shall not."

Harper and her father stared in awe at the building towering before them. Due to the fact that her father had been raised in the same small town that she had, neither of the two had ever seen such a magnificent building, let alone a school. The waves of wonder that passed over them were only strengthened when upon entering the school the silver and blue crest that adorned school banners was hung directly before them. The bright lights of the hall were dampened by the gargantuan number of students that filled it. Harper was simply overwhelmed with the extracurricular choices that were offered as she rushed ahead of her father to revel in the excitement that surrounded her. By the time that her father had managed to locate her again, her hands were overflowing with pamphlets for any clubs that even remotely caught her interest.

Although relieved to have found her, the old blacksmith had to inform her that in her mad rush to join every club and activity offered they had lost the tour group that was offering information on the school. Harper insisted that this was not a problem, for half of the pamphlets had crude maps in them to show locations of club meetings. After scanning the maps frantically the two managed to guess where the group had gone and rushed to the dormitories, just in time to catch Ms. Grey finishing: "...as if they were my own." Harper nudged her father, whispering "Let's hope she can keep better track of me than you!" All attempts to remain discreet were blown by the blacksmith's hearty chuckle at his daughter's poking humor. Through the crowd of smirking students Harper made her way to receive her backpack, and she noted that the drab color scheme would have to be amended in the near future. Opening her schedule, she glanced over the classes quickly, scanned for the location of her room, and after offering a sweet hug to her father and a kiss goodbye, scampered off to her room. She took a moment to read the name of her roommate: Evelyn St. Augustine. With a massive grin, Harper's heart filled to the brim with elation at the thought of meeting her roommate. She had always wanted one.

A new school year, and still he stood alone at the gate. He eyed the students who came with their doting parents but he envied them not. Adi lived within walking distance of the school so he considered it even. That said, it was crowded as always and decorated will all sorts of accomplishments of the previous year. Some of the paintings he recognised were by his seniors, seniors he would not see. It was pretty sobering to be reminded of the dangers he willingly exposed himself to.

Wandering over to Student Central, he took a look at the clubs stands on display. Officially, he was in the Darren Archive Club and though he could sign up for another club, there was no point. There were none that interested him. Sure there were some of the more popular martial arts clubs like the Karate or Judo clubs, but they were all for competition. Fights bounded by rules and regulations and won by points, the latter of which is something he felt particularly disgusted by. He felt more at ease in the informal Asian martial arts association, though he knew it would probably never be accepted as a real club and he didn't want it to be. Clubs were too restrictive to him.

Speaking of which, he had to meet the new advisor for the DAC since Mr. Albright wasn't here any more. He's at least got her name, Dr. Dawn, which was a bit funny. Turning around with a swift about face he headed towards the counselor's room. On arrival he knocked twice, courteously and waited for an answer.

Johnathan sluggishly opened the wide double doors. He wasn't so surprised to see the massive amount of people. He glanced around the Academy, and it seemed impressive for the most part. His mother was still following him around as they reached the dorm. After saying his good-byes, he inserted the key and entered the dorm, the place he would be staying with someone named "Carter" for a year.

Tugging his luggage, he closed the door. He had to fight over whether or not he had to wear a tuxedo. His mother wanted him to make a good first impression. But he eventually won, and was in a short-sleeved black t-shirt with gray jeans. He didn't think he had to be in uniform on the first day. He threw the luggage, and his newly obtained backpack the Academy was generous to give him, at a bed and headed out the door, after writing "JOHNATHAN" in big bold letters on a piece of paper. When he reached the student central, he hovered over where the 4th and 5th years students were showcasing multiple clubs and artwork from the past years. He didn't really concentrate on all of them because most of them didn't interest Johnathan. And because he was hungry. He then made his way to the cafeteria, hoping they had something he enjoyed. And, of course, if they were even open.

*NOTE* If I do not respond to your post, I am NOT ignoring you. As co-GMs, Whim and KP have control over certain characters and will respond to their according characters.

A ghost appeared beside the door dressed in Medieval armour. He held a shield on one arm with a bright red cross and a lance in the other. The front of his helmet remained closed though two blue lights, where eyes would've been, glowed from within the darkness. Adi would immediately recognize the ghost as Sir William of Dorcet. He was a spirit believed to have been summoned by one of the early Antiquorum members of the Supernatural Defence Unit in the very early days of Arclight Academy. Now, Sir William spent his days guarding the entrance of the Darren Archive Club, even interfering with the locks on the door to prevent snoopers from getting inside.

"Ah, Master Singh" wheezed the ghost as if it had not spoken in centuries "Has summer come and gone already? Welcome back to the Academy, Lady Dawn awaits your arrival." The door clicked open, revealing a woman in her early thirties with long dark brown hair tied in a very loose ponytail that hung down her back. She seemed deeply engrossed in a very large and presumably old book, though her attention immediately turned to the direction of the door as she heard it open. It was a reaction of reflexive action rather than fear as her eyes were narrowed until she realized who was standing at the door and then they softened.

"Adi, right?" she said with a smile, "I've been expecting you."
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"Bonjour jeune homme!" spoke Chef Jean-Claude in a dramatic French accent as Johnny entered the cafeteria "I assume you are 'ere to eat! Come come! Dine az you 'ave never dined before!"

The smells of the various dishes wafted into Johnny's nose as chefs rolled steaming metal containers of food over small burners that kept the food warm in the buffet. Students and parents sat around at different tables around the cafeteria, there were places to sit inside as well as a terrace where those who desired the elements while they ate could sit.

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Ms. Grey chuckled as she handed Basil the key card to his room "My my Mr. Petran, how you have grown over the summer. I suppose big boys deserve single rooms this year." she said with a smile. The interaction between herself and Basil had been at times testing over the years. His rebellious nature had gotten him in trouble on more than one occasion, though she had grown accustomed to his desire to be different. No longer did she attempt to have him fit inside her neat little box, though every time she saw his uniform she had the urge to iron it. Three years together had given her the patience to throw her own little jabs at him, and they jested in an odd way.

Evelyn was now officially set up in her room, and had been for a good two hours. Her father had insisted that he wanted to reach the school before traffic got heavy, and despite much protest from all his daughters, they had left home before the sun had barely risen on the horizon. They arrived roughly around 9 in the morning, with most of the school still relatively empty, aside from those who had taken early flights to the school. They skipped the tour, having been through it three times already with her three older sisters, and went directly to the dorm.

Ms. Grey revelled at the sight of Helena, Stephanie and Olivia, stating that they had grown into beautiful mature woman and how she missed them. The girls in turn asked how the woman was doing and shared what they were up to post-graduation. Evelyn stood there quietly until Ms. Grey took notice of her, exclaiming that she had grown up so much and how she remembered her as a baby in her mother's arms. She promised her parents to look after them "as if they were her own" a promise that the family had heard for many years now, and then handed Evelyn her "Welcome to Arclight Academy" pack. Her parents then moved in the various items she had brought from home into her room.

Evelyn smiled as she remembered their departure. Her mother refused to leave, and clung to her "baby", combing her fingers through her hair. Her sisters reminded her of the legacy that lay before her, and jokingly told her "not to ruin the family name". Her father, quizzed her on the various means to kill supernatural creatures before giving her a tight hug, and without any further words they left her alone in her room to head back home.

She sighed, bored, not wanting to go anywhere, but not wanting to stay in her room. Evelyn wondered when her roommate, a Miss Harper Radisson, would arrive. It was then that she heard the lock of the door click open.

The past ten minutes had been rather disappointing. There hadn't been nearly as many freshmen as Logan had expected. The... accident had probably done a good bit to scare off prospective applicants for the school.

With little else to do, the flustered sophomore resignedly went to get his room assignment from Ms. Grey. He was quite fond of the kindly dorm mother, even if she tended to be a bit possessive of the students in her charge.

"Fine mornin', huh?" He greeted as he approached, quickly snatching up his keys. The rest of the exchange went about as expected. Ms. Grey was predictably maternal that way.

Walking away, Logan stifled a grin as he read his rooming assignment. This is sure tae be an interestin' year. he mused as he made his way to his quarters.

Lukas was wearing a loose orange hoodie (there was a whitish-bluish long-sleeved shirt underneath, but the hoodie was a pull-over, so you couldn't see it), baggy blue jeans and simple green sneakers, pretty obviously not adhering to dress code. He could probably get away with it on the first day, with some excuse or another (he had approximately 26 stored in his memory, listed from A to Z). As his uncle left to take care of business (so much business... why must everyone be so positively busy?), he let an almost-real smile take his face as he waved good-bye, with a cheerful yell of "Auf Wiedersehen! Ich werde dich vermissen!"

He understood English perfectly well, of course - spending a few years in America with a willing teacher would do that - but at this early stage, it was best to be noticed. Displaying a foreign language was a good way to do that, he decided. He wouldn't be too overbearing with it, of course. He'd most likely only speak German if he was talking to his uncle, or perhaps to himself. Or making an exclamation of surprise... well, faking one, anyway. He was never surprised. The tour had been valuable, the layout he'd been lead around sketched into his mind. It probably wasn't totally accurate, since he didn't have a photographic memory or anything, but he'd get around well enough. His new equipment would be handy too, because... well, who doesn't like computers?

In the meantime, it'd be best to meet up with his roommate... no, a group of people would be better. The easiest place to make conversation would likely be the cafeteria, and he was pretty freakin' hungry anyway. But he'd move there at a relaxed pace, with a confident grin. But not too confident, then they'd assume he was a jerk. Which... he kinda was, but that's not the point. So he'd enter the cafeteria, like a boss, and set his eyes on the terrace. He'd get food first, but he greatly preferred being around nature than... not being around nature, he supposed. But for now he'd just get something to eat. Augh, he wished he was allowed to drink in public. And that the cafeteria served wine in the first place. Or that there was wine absolutely anywhere in the building.You're supposed to drink at celebrations, right?!

...Anyway. Right. Food. Better go get that.

Harper had swung the door open a little faster than intended and it hit the door stopper with a dull thud. Although she sheepishly hoped no one had see it, she knew this thought was futile when she saw the brunette girl sitting in the room. Red rushed through Harper's face as she quietly laughed, trying to shrug off the awkward first impression. Although she had long legs, she took embarrassingly short strides as she stammered out a reply. It was strange. She was usually much more... fluid in her primary encounters. Putting her best foot forward, so to speak, she reached out her hand to introduce herself, the link of chains clattering upon her wrist. "You must be Evelyn! I'm Harper Radisson!" she blurted out with excitement. By this point she had regained her composure and cheery demeanor. "I've never had a roommate before!" As the words left her rosy lips, she began to explore her new living positions with her eyes.

"A pleasure as always Sir William," he replied to the knight.

Turning back to the matter at hand he studied the good doctor as she looked up from the tome she was perusing. She held herself differently for Joshua but he couldn't tell how as his eyes wandered her figure. Not good, he still required further training. Catching himself after that brief gaze he spoke.

"I expected no less from you Doctor. Adi Shuresha Singh, I shall be in your care this year."

He bowed deeply but swiftly.

"That is all."

And there he stood easy, awaiting the Doctor's reply with his hands clasped behind his back, feet 12 inches apart to the T and his gaze fixed rather firmly on her face. He had half a mind to go find Li having not seen him at all today. It was also starting to veer in to evening and he would like to get home before dinner. As much as Jean-Claude was good with his cooking, nothing beat his mother's homemade meals, especially when it came to South East Asian cuisine. He was also grateful that his parents did not impose a curfew but he never returned home past midnight so it wasn't an issue anyway. How the mind wanders when the body at rest.

Li returned to Arclight Academy for his third year. After the incident, Li was a bit uneasy coming back, but knew he had to finish his studies. Wearing simply the dress shirt tucked in and the sleeves rolled up, he walked through the gates to notice the amount of new students who had just arrived. This year, Li decided to opt out of staying in residence. He decided to jog to school in the mornings with Adi as he recently learned at the end of last year that they lived in the same condo.

After some time past, Li noticed many of the freshmen started to head towards their dorms. While the crowds were clearing up, Li started to heading towards the counselors office with a hunch that Adi would be there.

Johnathan looked over the food again. There was such a wide variety he didn't know what to eat first. He eventually went with something simple, 3 large slices of pizza. He thought people wanted something more sophisticated because they thought it was rather...fast foodish, but he really didn't care. Come to think of it...he saw a pizzeria called "Antonio's" on the way here. He made a mental note to try to get to that place later. Johnathan wanted to try all the dishes they had, but wanted to start small and work his way up. Quickly grabbing a bottle of water, he looked around the cafeteria. It was starting to clear up but there were no empty tables left. Looking annoyed, he left for the terrace.

Ghost. The word popped into his mind as he took a bite of his pizza. Why was he thinking about something so chimerical? He shook his head at thought of it to forget about it as the wind rushed by.

Wow. What started as standing up against a bully, turned into this. Thought Carter, who was walking along side Nicholas, "You'll love the place, it's filled with wonderful people, some are like you and me,who study alchemy. But there are also others, there are many different artes, all of which are important, they are what defines us of who we are." As they approached the front of the school Nicholas looked at Carter, " My boy, you will do great things here, remember what I taught you, I also want you to have this." And Nicholas handed Carter a chain. "It's special." Nicholas explained, "It's made from carbon steel, you can attach your crystal on it, through this, you will be able to channel your crystal without having to hold onto it. Useful for when you aren't hands free." Nicholas winked. " Thank you. Thank you for everything, Nicholas." Carter said, with a single tear in his eye. hey shook hands and set their way. "Oh, and Carter?" "Yeah?" "If you need anything, I won't be far away..." "I know, so long, Nicholas." And they kept walking.

Carter made it to the academy, going through the doors and reciveing his package. He walked around, getting to know the place. His stomach lurched, reminding him he hasn't ate for awhile, he made his way the cafeteria, and decided to see what he should eat, he looked around, lookiing at all the delicious food. Hmm... Let's see here. We got some pizza, I'll pass on that. Um, grilled chicken? I'm not really in the mood for chicken, neither. Oh! Seeing the rack of ribs, Carter made his way over to the deliciously smelling ribs. He took a whole rack of ribs, and moved over to the drinks section. Please. PLEASE have Dr.Pepper. Looking at the assortment of drinks, he saw his one true love. He grabbed a cup and filled it to the brim with his favourite soft drink. He then went to the salad bar, and gave himself a serving of mixed greens, having everything he needed, he went to go look for a seat, which there wasn't one. Carter looked harder, trying to see through the sea of people, and stilll couldn't find a single spot. Well, this is gunna be fun... Weaving through the groups of people, Carter decided to just go to the terrace, and saw someone eating pizza. Approaching him he said, "Hey, is this 'seat' taken, because every other seat is... Hi, I'm Carter, and you are?"