Sophi
Sophi stopped and stared. She wasn't sure what she'd done wrong, but she'd clearly made the girls uncomfortable. This made her uncomfortable in turn. She didn't squiggle or squirm, staying still as she winced, but it didn't make her less nervous. She followed after the catgirl, slithering along, praying she didn't skitter out of sight.
"Oh fiddlesticks! I do apologize, I didn't mean to upset you! I simply meant..."
But she had already moved on. The group was starting to come together, everyone moving from one topic to the next. It was hard to keep track. She had heard of some of these races, but seeing them together in such a strange place with everyone talking and chatting and mingling? It was hard to take in. There was so much new and fascinating information, so much she wanted to absorb and consider! There was the catgirl, the foxgirl, the monkey and the skunk and the wolf! He was so tall and lanky and had all those pretty baubles, it was nearly enough to make her squee.
But then there was the human. She had seen humans before on the train but hadn't spoken to them. She wanted to, but there were so many of them she didn't know where to start! That was still true. She wanted to talk to everyone and anyone, see and do everything, learn all that she could. Perhaps she should talk to the monkey? No, they were talking to someone else. The strange wolf and his baubles? He was talking to the catgirl and she'd already made things awkward. Maybe the skunk and the others, but who should she start with? She needed to do something but everyone else was already doing something and they kept talking and talking and talking...
"...uh, i'm sssorry, i don't think I'm feeling well..."
She cradled her head, pressing her hands against her ears. It was too much. It was almost as bad as her first brush with humanity. She thought she'd gotten better since then, but some days were better than others. She needed to breath. If she wasn't so overloaded, she would have been embarrassed, but that was the last thing on her mind.
Todd immediately felt awkward standing there as Noa basically let air her anxieties due to people being not so great about this. And honestly, he was not without sin as it were - his hard drive on his computer could attest to that. But he wasn't about to act like a creep due to it. He scratched the back of his neck as the Beastmen there introduced themselves, and noted it seemed his best buddy had wandered off for now. Probably to gawk at pretty Beastfolk ladies.
"Well, since everybody's introducing themselves..." The brawny human stated, "I'm Todd. Here to learn about Ki, and all that went on—-"
"Oh, Todd! Todd!"
"Oh, sorry dad!" Todd then rushed toward the train again, where a man standing about 6 foot 6 inches tall walked out, struggling to handle the weighty luggage brought with them. Todd's family had opted to move with him, to best support their son. Whereas Todd stood tall and brawny, his pale, balding father seemed to be entirely lanky, with long limbs, a large forehead, and silvery hair mixed in with his blond locks. His eyes seemed icier than Todd's, more like an arctic pool than the baby blues Todd had. He dressed in a white long sleeved shirt, grey pants, and black boots.
As Todd helped his dad with the luggage, a new announcement came out over the ravens;
"Students of Braveheart Academy. Please proceed up toward the Academy to begin settling in. Once all are comfortable, we have news and a schedule going forward." The voice belonged to Sir Gideon, as calm and collected as he ever seemed.
Edited by NickTheSwing on Jul 7th 2023 at 5:42:15 AM
Micaio "Tol Boi" Antero
By contrast to Noa's surprising strength, Micaio, for all his height, has unimpressive grip. Just from the brief handshake, Noa can tell his arm weighs almost nothing - all bone and sinew, barely any muscle. The build of a creature which evolved to move fast, not hit hard.
The volume of the catgirl's subsequent outburst makes the maned wolf flinch, his large ears reflexively folding over his head. Sensitive canine hearing is a boon for a wanderer, to be sure... but up this close with someone apparently inclined to shouting at the top of her lungs, it can become a burden. Once he's sure she's quieted down, his ears unfold and he chuckles sheepishly.
"Ah, well... I apolo-" He pauses, clears his throat and shuffles awkwardly. "I'm... sorry. Maned wolves, we... we all talk like that. Words... phrases... we like to collect them. Show them off. As with many things." It's clear from the way he pauses and catches himself every other word that Micaio is having to fight his reflexes every step of the way to speak so simply.
Deciding he'd rather not confront the subject of human sexual fantasies just yet, he visibly loosens up and lets out a genuine chuckle as he notices Yi Min. Micaio isn't used to being the one who has to look up at someone, but he finds it more amusing than anything.
"My, what impressive skills you have! If I were only in possession of any that could match them... but alas, you are mistaken. I am no master warrior. These legs of mine are as fragile as they look..."
be nice to benjamin it's not his fault he got beat up by a microbe
The Light That Blinds
Hana
Hana breathed a sigh of relief. Good. No one was addressing him. He quickened his pace, hoping to reach the school as soon as possible. It wouldn't do to be late. Especially with how important all of this was.
(Definitely had nothing to do with how the idea of conversing with a stranger made his palms sweat. Nope.)
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Tony Goldman
Tony wasn't sure where he was at. He'd been listening to some sick beats, earphones glued to his head, volume turned to the max as he bobbed his head. He was totally ripped, but it was the music that had his attention. He kept jamming, humming as he waltzed through the door. Music was his muse, a gift from the Gods. As was he. He was God's gift to humanity and wanted everyone to know it.
He had danced past the group when he stumbled. He nearly fell back down the slanted street, but he caught himself, standing tall. "Woo! That was close, huh?"
He glanced around. It was only then he saw all the pretty ladies. Maybe some men too, but he didn't dwell on it. He puffed out his chest, leaning towards Maho and the others.
"Well, hello there! Any of you lovely ladies got a bandaid? Cuz I just about scraped my knee falling for you! Name's Tony, but you can call me Tone E. Pretty hot, huh?"
Sophi
After some deep breaths, Sophi was getting better. The crowd was settling down. Everyone was moving towards the school, taking their endless chatter with them. She didn't want them to go, there was so much she wanted to learn. So much she wished to see and observe. But it was getting easier to think. She slithered ahead. Focusing on the school helped too and that was where she needed to be anyway.
She was so focused on what was in front that she barely noticed what lay under her. She bumped into Hana, nearly knocking them over with her tail. She backed away, but chances were it was too little too late.
"Oh goodness gracious! I'm so terribly sorry, I should have paid more attention! Please forgive me..."
It was only when she glanced down that something clicked. She had seen them before. Not Hana specifically, but she was familiar with the Kuroneko. Her people did business with them, exchanging fish in exchange for whatever they needed. They were self-sufficient, but they rarely ventured off the coast. As a consequence, some things were harder to get. Their spiritual beliefs were fascinating as well, even if most of her parents didn't agree. She didn't think she'd meet one here of all places, but she was glad she did.
"Ah!" She bowed, folding her hands out of respect. "My deepest apologies! I hadn't expected to run into someone from such a distinguished culture! In some ways, it puts ours to shame. I don't mean to be a bother, but I have so many questions..."
Edited by kkhohoho on Jul 7th 2023 at 9:15:05 AM
The Light That Blinds
Hana
Hana yelped as he nearly fell over, again. Careless. He whipped around to the other person with a hiss, preparing to draw his sword—
Oh. Naga. He knew of them, of course. His people traded with them often. But he'd never quite met one in person before, nor did he know much about them. She...did seem quite curious about his people, though. Called them distinguished, even.
...
There wasn't much of a way out of this, was there?
"It's fine," he said. "Sorry I hissed at you. Ask your questions while we walk."
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Sophi
"Oh thank you! I'll try not to overwhelm you! I've been told I have a bad habit of being invasive. And when I'm invasive, I can be exhausting. And when I'm exhausting, I can be unwanted. I believe the halfbreeds have already had enough of me..."
Sophi followed again, staring at Hana as she went. She didn't mean to. It was partly an instinctual trait, but it was hard to do anything else. It wasn't her fault she couldn't blink. She tried to reign herself in, but it was next to impossible.
"I'll attempt to keep things brief. I'm quite curious about your religious customs, but I'm more interested in your cultivation of agriculture. I barely understood the concept until the Great Convergence made a mess of things, but it's most fascinating! Were it possible to grow our own food, we wouldn't need to spend half as much time collecting it. How is it you came across it?"
“Sorry, I tripped on my luggage.“ Leigh would get up from the skunk folks tail “I..” He’d look her up and down “Huh yeah I appreciate that...” he’d tap his feet on the ground as he spoke “Wha?” he’d look down to see that he’s missing one shoe “uhm, have you seen my shoe? Ah there it is!” he’d go over to his larger than usual hard-shell suitcase and grab his shoe… “So much for good first impression ha-ha, anyways! I’m Leigh.”
The announcement rang and Leigh for a moment panicked about his headphones before he remembered they were on a string around his neck exactly for that reason. “So… I guess I should get going. Unless you’d want to talk more, it be rude if I just appeared fell on you and then disappeared.”
The Light That Blinds
Hana
"It is...not a particularly long story. Our ancestors found the plants growing along the river, and they provided a steady source of food. Watching how the plants grew, they worked out how to cultivate them, and started building homes around them. And so we had farms. My family works on one."
Hana was aware of how she stared. He gave no outward indication of it, it wasn't likely to be malicious, but his spine was still a bit tense. Just in case.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Sophi
"Fascinating! Alas, our people don't have that luxury. We Naga are strictly carnivorous you see. It's not as though we've never attempted to adjust our pallets. Goodness knows we've tried! But it's never ended well. Simply put, our bodies are incapable of consuming anything that isn't meat. Sad but true. But the principle is sound. Perhaps if we applied it to livestock, we'd get better results. Though I wish there was another way..."
Sophi looked up, staring into the heavens. She held herself with grace and serenity, praying softly, akin to a priest. For all her questions and theories, she was a religious soul at heart. A walking contradiction. It was something she knew all too well, but she had long embraced it.
""All is born from the Grand Oroborus. To the Oroborus we return. The beginning is the end. The end is the beginning. All is one."
She looked back down. In her moment of her prayer, she had seemed majestic, almost otherworldly. Calm and composed, speaking with clarity and purpose. She was all but embarrassed, but didn't dwell on it.
"Please forgive me for such indulgence, but I felt it was appropriate. From our perspective, the world is the Grand Oroborus. All is made from the serpent's scales. The waters, the land, the very air we breathe. When we fade away, we return to the Oroborus, slotted into a magnificent tapestry. And we are made anew. It is this that allows us to live us with ourselves. For all we consume will one day be made whole again. When you to stop to think about it, it does seem rather silly. But it stills holds a certain truth. Even if the details are dubious..."
Fwomph
So Many New Friends!
Oh dear, the fan collapsed. And another physically larger one had struck up conversation!
"Oh yes it is very exciting! The school invited me personally, yaknow?"
Somewhere in the background there was a snake lady also asking questions about the dancing and a big guy staring at the group and a round of names was going around.
"Well it looks like some of you all know my Idol name, but lemme share my real one! I am #Suzuhime Maho, don't-cha-know?#"
She giggles a little.
"Sorry, I don't normally tell people my civic name so I like dressing it up a bit when I do get the chance."
It's clearly a case of backroom political albumizing.
And so, by the time the students gathered inside the Academy, nestled in the midst of that great tree, they would find that their luggage and belongings were sorted and taken off to their rooms by an assortment of odd homunculi - humanoid creatures with ashen countenances, all distinguished by the outer coat covering the brown shirt and pants - the center of the oddly ornate looking outer coat to these creatures had a prominent motif of an eye.
Those who looked long at the assistants would swear that despite the eye only being sewn into the coat fabric, it would feel like the design was looking at them. Perhaps, perhaps not.
But as the students walked through the Academy, they would be guided through it by the voice of Sir Gideon;
"Down there, through the long spiral staircase, is the mess hall. You'll find it an apt place for food should you wish. Further up, along those curving branches you'll find your rooms. If you need any help locating anything in here, one of my homunculi should be of assistance. They are programmed with knowledge of each location within the Academy."
Indeed, the internal area of the Academy was vast - extending out and separating into new areas by both oaken colored staircases that seemed to undulate and move on their own, and internal branches that manifested steps and stairs out of their mass to guide the students to where they needed to go.
As this cast of students found their way amidst so many others into the Academy's walls, they would start to hear some chatter;
"So did you hear about that town Liberec?"
"No I did not... what happened to that town Liberec?"
"Something went down there. The humans of the town have been scorched - their sanity long gone. But our kin there remain..."
"...Scorched...by what?"
"Well, I've heard that's gonna be an assignment soon. After all, it's really close by. They say that—-"
"But who is They anyway...?"
...
Before long, the students from out front would be greeted more personally by one of the instructors. Floria Frene walked down one of the vines from a higher level, each step met by the vine curling lower. She was a somewhat short and stout woman, homely but in an earthy sort of way. Her dress seemed to be either very convincing, or outright made entirely out of flowers and plant-life somehow enchanted together into the form of a dress. Her bright red hair was curly, and a vine tiara showed at her forehead.
Walking by her side was a human - a young man in his twenties, lean and fleet-footed looking, stepping somewhat more gingerly than the naturally confident Floria. His hair was messy and disheveled - he wore a rather odd suit of leather armor riven with slightly glowing blue lines in a complicated pattern around the eye design that seemed to be Gideon's calling card. He had no sleeves, but a pair of gauntlets extended up to his elbows, similarly inlaid with slightly glowing blue lines. He wore a tight pair of black leather pants, and steel toed boots.
Floria introduced herself to Maho and the others, "Welcome, friends, to the Great Tree of the Academy. Before assignments are handed out, I would be glad to personally answer any questions and guide you through the area. After all, the Homunculi are not exactly skilled conversationists - and purely verbal instruction can be difficult to apply for some."
She gestured at herself, "My name is Floria Frene..." She then gestured to the rather distant looking young man, "And this is the school official head of security Cayson."
"...Howdy." Cayson stated blithely, arms crossed.
Edited by NickTheSwing on Jul 19th 2023 at 2:10:55 AM
Druid Dude
Brittany was dumbstruck at the sheer scale of the tree. It was even better than the stories she had heard and weaved, better because she is actually a part of the stories. She stared in awe at the homunculi, at the eyes that seemed to watch them all, and whistled at the grand oak stairs and branches that shaped themselves to help people cross.
Upon hearing of Liberec, she tilts her head in confusion, her ears twitching as she picked up the gossip. "Scorched? Madness?" she whispers. "Sounds pretty bad. Good thing other people can handle that."
Floria Frene made quite the entrance, what with the vines and everything, followed by the Cayson. "Druid. Knight." Brittany whispers in awe. "This place is amazing." Brittany laughs. "Where's our quarters?" she suddenly turns to the two. "Unless there's something we need to do?" she sighs.
You piss off the Venom T-Rex. Roll initiative.
The Light That Blinds
Hana
Hana listened to the chatter with a frown. Whatever was happening sounded serious. He'd check it out, except he was stuck in this school and couldn't just break out whenever he wanted to investigate something.
He still thought on it though, even as one of the instructors and the head of security arrived. Hana didn't say anything to them, but he did give a respectful bow.
"Kept me waiting, haven’t you? Tch. No matter. Dawdle all you’d like. In the end, your defeat remains inevitable."
Yi Min
Her curiosity about the half-humans sated, Yi Min turned to the extremely tall newcomer, looking up at him with slight awe.
Not to be outdone, she used her tail to pull the elegant wooden staff from her back, planting it on the ground and hopping up to land on it in a crouch. Although her feet could barely grip the edge, she maintained a perfect balance - the staff did not so much as tremble.
Atop the staff, even crouched down, she was now slightly above eye level with Micaio. She looked down at him with a grin. "You're really big!" She said. "You must be pretty strong, right? Even if your legs are all thin."
Suddenly remembering her manners, she pointed a thumb at herself. "I'm Sun Yi Min, if you didn't hear. Nice to meetcha! You ever want a good fight, I'm ready to go anytime."
Edited by kagescorpionakki on Jul 4th 2023 at 6:54:26 AM
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?