Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM): In the Shadows of the City - Chapter 1: Back to School

[Justin OOC]

September 1, 2012

It was the first day of the Fall Semester, and like most other schools, Kiyomori Academy was a veritable hive of activty. Nearly fifteen hundred students roamed the halls of the vast Private Academy, or her expansive grounds in northwestern Nerima. The school was fairly remote, one of the few in the whole of Tokyo not set amid some form of urban or suburban sprawl. The entire grounds were surrounded by a ten foot high stone wall, looking to be far, far older than the school buildings themselves. Four main gates corresponded to the cardinal directions. The Southern Gate was the main entrace, as that was the direction the main building faced.

With a building for four classes, Kiyomori resembled a western school with it's organization, one of many eccentricities of the school's Headmaster. The fifth building of the six was Administration building, housing offices, the main nurse' s office, cafeteria, and uniquely, the school store. Behind it was a fairly large building, housing the school's gynasium, and roughly half the pool. A track Field, soccer field, and a baseball diamond took up most of the empty space behind the buildings, With the faculty parking lot nestled up right behind the admin building.

The warning bell sounded at seven forty-five, allerting the students that classes oficially would begin in fifteen minutes. What had ben a somewhat calm chaos of students catching up before class and after summer became nearly frantic, as so many set about getting to class ontime for at least the first day.

In CLass 3-A (This is the class the PC's are ALL in) was perhaps the largest in the Junior class, with space for forty people. On the roll it would show to be a class of thirty three, with roughly a dozen members already sitting in the classroom, some occuying the same Alphabetical seating arrangement they'd been set in at the beginning of the year. Others still talking to friends within the class. The talk was whether Miss Shinoji would be coming back this term, as well as various vacations taken by the students.

OK everyone approved is free to post as you will. For now, I will suspend my own normal posting rate as ST until I have one from everyone.

[Fiona Warner]

Five Minutes Prior to the Warning Bell

Anne pulls up to a parking stall meant for mopeds or motorcycles. There was a slight chill to the air today, fitting to end summer with. This was a day of reflection for her. Also a sense of normalcy. No more than a few months ago, her Father was called to replace the previous ambassador and she had to adapt to a new country, and fast.

Being a diplomat's daughter was tough, but now it's tougher now that every move you make was under scrutiny.

She kept her helmet with her favorite goggles under one arm and her backpack she slung over her other shoulder. She had her favorite poncho on for a wind breaker while she rode. She didn't look like a punk with her long brown hair put into a ponytail and green eyes, in fact a couple of the students around the parking lot looked at her and saw her actually a little attractive. At the front door one of the seniors stops her.

"Hey... that's not a standard coat for school use."

"I am aware." Anne says in surprisingly good Japanese. "Last I checked though, there is no overcoat requirements at this school."

"Bein' smart with me, you english bitch?"

"No... I was going." Anne says, deftly avoiding him, only to collide with a post.

"Damn..." She says massaging her nose... and what's this, blood?

"Heheh.... no wonder you wear that raincoat. Hey guys! Check out the new kid!"

Anne glares as she picks her belongings back up and heads to her locker. She loads her bag in, taking her books out and proceeds to change her shoes. She stuffs her poncho into the locker and heads up after closing and locking the door and using a handkerchief to staunch the bloody nose.

She steps into 3-A as the warning bell rings.

"If there is one thing I'll be today, is on time..."

She takes her assigned seat mentioned on her Syllabus. She just wanted to get the day started because that means she could meet up with her club-mates and take out the aggression and stress of the day. And she was spoiling to get revenge on her club president.

She looks about the room to see if there were any familiar faces from people she had seen during her orientation a week ago.

The greatest moment she had was when she was home and got to try on her uniform for the first time. The sailor collar on the blazer was cute but everything felt more British than Japanese. The black was flattering too. Although she had a slightly longer, but well within regulation skirt. Everything was neatly pressed and no overt signs of customization other than the tailor-done alterations.

But for now... she hopes for a good, normal day. For luck she puts on the antique bracelets that have passed down from mother to daughter for generations. Their pitch black form radiated a warmth like lacquered wood, but had the weight of metal.

"First day is always the hardest." She whispered in her londonian british accented english.

[z-Galiana]

Galiana was terrified, but she tried not to show it. It wasn’t easy, though. There were too many people around here, even before the bell rang. Now they were all pushing and shoving, trying to get to class. Well, they weren’t touching her, but she felt like they were. They were all too close to her right now. Gali could feel them staring at her, wondering.

The urge to shift rose in her and she ignored it with effort. If she shifted, she could tear herself a place of safety, or so her instincts said. But a lifetime of keeping secrets forced her to keep herself in human form – no matter how much she loved being the cat. That thought brought a touch of peace to her, and she managed a smile. The power available to her as a cat was heady. She was even more beautiful when she slipped her human skin.

Her fingers reached up and combed her hair forward and down again. Her black hair covered the right side of her face; she refused to cut it or wear it back. She didn’t want to be stared at anymore. Her cousin, Nobu, had shown her where 3-A was. It was the only favor she could expect from him, and that had come only because their uncle had demanded it. She didn’t care. If she told herself that often enough, she’d believe it.

Silently, she took her seat, only to vacate it when a girl told her that it was her seat, not Gali’s. Silently, the human-shaped were-cat slipped out of the chair and into the right one. Or at least, she hoped it was the right one. Her backpack was kicked under the desk and her hands were folded on top. Silently, hair hanging in her face, she waited for class to start.

[Karren Gaunt]

With the steady, no nonsense footfalls of someone who knew where she was going and how long it would take her to get there, Akemi Amara made her way into the classroom. She had been on campus since earlier that morning, having volunteered to help set things up for the first official Student Council meeting later that week. Amara prefered arriving before most of the rush anyway, the better to reduce annoying whispers and gossip when her bodyguards disembarked from the car before her just in case and *then* let her get out and enter the school grounds on her own. It was the way she had lived for as long as she could remember, accustomed to ignoring the presense of her violent shadows that left her to her own resources on school grounds and would rejoin her when she emerged. There had been enough near-incidents that she knew it would be stupid to try to avoid them, not that she had much of a rebelious streak. What do you rebel against when your role models *are* the criminal underbelly?

None of this showed on her face, coldly composed, a waterfall of straight black hair merging against the color of her uniform jacket. She nodded acknowledgement to the ambassadar's daughter, pausing briefly, "Miss Aceworth. It is a pleasure to see you again."

No more than that for a greeting, but it was far more than most causually got from or would give to Amara, and there was a genuine impression of restrained good-feeling behind the self control. She moved on, settling two desks behind Anne and mentally cataloging the pre-reading she had done to prepare for this school year. At least until Anne might decide to reply. Amara wouldn't mind a little conversation in moderation.

[Shosuro Toshi]

Shinji slipped through the halls, ignoring the glances and occasional dismissive whisper of 'half-gaijin.' It only showed how purblind they were, given that his parents were perfectly Japanese. An accident of birth location, nothing more. Fortunate that he knew people not so discriminating.

Oddly the halls gave him the though for a drawing later. 'The Veins-' the second part of which he was missing, but the way they worked as arteries of transport were interesting enough.

He entered the classroom, and amusingly, had found his seat down behind Anne and next to Amara. "Morning, Anne-san, Amara-san."

[z004]

Kuchiki Ayami had been in the classroom for almost a half-hour before the fifteen minute bell rang, going over the Student Council President's suggestions for the year's festivals, student body activities, and improvements to be made around the school. She was dressed impeccably, the fabrics of her school uniform made of the finest material and cut to the exact specifications put out by the school. As students began to filter in, she filed the plans away in her satchel and made her way to the front of the room. She greeted the students, some old friends and many new arrivals, in soft-spoken Japanese and directed those that looked lost to their seats.

It was good to see her school friends again; summers weren't exactly lonely or boring, but she liked the cadence the Academy: the sounds of students walking and talking in the halls, the swish of paper in the quiet of testing rooms, the smell of books, and the high-energy thrum of the after-school clubs. The entire campus always felt like a living thing to her, and each of the students and faculty, the buildings and the greens, it was all connected. It fit togetherand everyone belonged somewhere. As the minutes ticked closer to the start of class and the professor arrived, Ayami took her seat with the same quiet grace that she had greeted each of the students with. She smiled and relaxed into the first beat of the school year.

[Fiona Warner]

Anne spoke in almost native sounding Japanese; "Hello, Shinji and Amara! I hope your lives weren't too eventful over the summer break."

"I was... quite busy. But it was rewarding."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Ryu had ridden in from a very early morning of drills for the juniors in Kendo. He had put up a mock protest, but everyone knew he didn't mind. He was good, and he really could get the basics across to the newbs. He was their Senpai, and not one of them would forget it. He had a reputation for being tough - literally, every Junior in the Kendo club last year had been offered a wager. Take him down with one free shot, no defense - and you earn fifty thousand yen. Fail to take him down, and you were his. Of course, he had to put on a show of being a 'normal' tough guy. Wincing just a bit, moving to seem to absorb the blows with technique ... but Shinai don't do very much damage at all. It had worked again this year ... they were terrified!

They would be good this year too. Maybe next year this crop would be champions.

Leaving everything locked up, he strolled through the parking lot. Then casually up to class to arrive forty five seconds before the last bell. He nodded, and smiled a too-cool-for-school-but-have-to-be-here smile to his friends as he came in, saying nothing. It was a normal, fairly warm 'hello' for Ryu.

He had a few choices for seats, and chose to sit away from Tamako ... he and Tamako were still on the outs. She had been crazy for him last year, and he hadn't been interested. Over the break, he'd been interested in her ... but she played it cool. The last week of break she'd made her move, only to discover that Ryu had hooked up with some exchange students for a fling - a blonde and a redhead both from Norway. Now she wanted him, but was also livid ... as if he'd betrayed her somehow ... but he'd have nothing of that. She was the one who had said - for everyone to see at the GoGo Curry shop in Yamaki Mall - that they were not dating ...

... So he was avoiding the crazy girl who wanted to both kiss him and hit him. Story of his life, and apparently a story that all the gossip girls knew too.

Ryu gave Tamako the same cool smile, and said nothing.

[z-Galiana]

Ryu, in trying to avoid the crazy girl, had unknowingly taken a seat next to another crazy girl. Galiana tensed as someone sat next to her. Her hands, which had moved to press flat against the desk as more and more people had entered, now pressed harder into the surface. Her fingers curled as if into claws, the tips scraping slowly against the desk.

She could smell him. Not with any cat-senses, but with her normal human nose. People could smell stuff all the time, they just ignored it. She didn’t ignore it. He was way too close for comfort.

Then the last bell rang.

Gali let out a yelp and jumped to her feet at the horrible sound. She knew what it was, but it was so much louder inside than it had been on the grounds. Realizing that no one else had jumped and they were all staring at her, her face colored and she sat down. Then she heard a girl whisper, “Did you see that scar?”

Her hand dove into her bag and pulled out a baggie. She carefully hunched over it, hiding what she was doing. Inside was a bit of cloth. Gali peeled it open with shaking fingers, stuck her nose in the bag and inhaled. The gentle, soothing scent of catnip immediately calmed her and she closed the baggie and thrust it back into her backpack before she got truly high. When she sat up, she was calmer than she had been before. She could do this. It wouldn’t be easy, but she could be around all these strange, foreign people.

[AceWildcard]

Kohaku was walking down the path towards school. He was in his school uniform with a pair of shades on his face. "Another year in hell." he thought to himself. He didn't like school for the most part. To be honest he loved to learn, he just did not love the social aspects of school. Even so, he knew the awkward stares and being picked on time by time were going to be hell on him.

He can see the school from the distance. He just hope he didn't get into trouble being a bit late. He wasn't one to slack off often. He just dreaded the first day of school each year. He didn't know what happen summer break or who would go after him for some reason or another form last year. It's odd how some members of the school body keep grudges.

He hears the warning bell and runs towards class. He couldn't afford to miss class. He was at the gates when he heard it. He knew things were going to be a pain. Still he didn't care. As long as no freaking ghost bug him or cause problems, he would be okay. He just hopes he makes it to class on time.

He barely makes it to calss on time. He goes to fall on his feet from exaustion. He is flat on his face, not the best expression to start the year with. Then again not the first time that had happen to him as well. He just hopes his noise isn't bleeding when he gets up.

[Fiona Warner]

Anne watched outside from her vantage point through the windows of Class 3-A as the students milled in, some faster than Others.

"No matter where I go, no matter which school I've ever been to... everyone dreads going." She says in Japanese. She's been practicing at every opportunity to make sure her Japanese was as sharp and without unnecessary accent. She already spoke like a native of Nerima, but her accent just wasn't there to her ear.

She sighs as she grabs her books and sets them on her desk. "You know what I hate about all this? Coming back to it."

She leans back. "I mean, I'm used to school in England here we have such a beautifully long vacation but you dread like your own demise your first day back. At least with the shorter breaks here you don't get used to vegetating. Not that I did so in mine. Can't begin to tell you how many volunteer hours I racked up at the elderly home down the way."

"Life's too short... We gotta try to live it."

[Karren Gaunt]

That speech got a raised eyebrow out of Amara, the taller girl visibly bemused by Anne's statement after nodding welcome to Shinji. "You have the oddest way of looking at things, Aceworth-San. School breaks are a chance to get a lead on studies and prepare for your placement exams," she volunteered evenly, "These are our years to get ready for what the world will throw at us, and there's no one who will be able to pull you up if you are stupid as well as the world will push you down."

Her eyes weren't unkind as she intoned this personal truth, having seen too many people whose bad choices had driven them to ask mercy of the merciless, the spark of a desire to never be in the position to be forced to rely on the mercy of people like her Father or, if she was honest, herself pressing her lips bloodlessly together. She didn't want Anne or Shinji to be in that place eiether, not that she could save them from themselves if they didn't apply themselves.

[Fiona Warner]

"Amara, the world is on my shoulders already."

She scratches her head. "I'm ahead enough in my studies where I have free time. Well any free time when I'm not volunteering or learning other things like first aid, wilderness survival... sort of getting a head start. I plan on joining the Royal Navy at some point. Might even become part of a Pararescue team if I can hack it."

She smiles as she leans back. "If there is one thing I have learned, is people need people. No one is a island. You should be ready when duty calls."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Ryu just widened an eye at Galiana's reaction to him, and in a quiet tone simply said "Pleasure to meet you. Call me Ryu."

Then he noticed something, signs of a fight perhaps? Blood ... the sight of a little dried blood on Anne's face was unmistakable. Ryu silently got her attention with a wave, and then a point to his own face where the blood would be ... and a look that clearly expressed concern. He said to Anne "You OK? Somebody give you a hard time?"

[Fiona Warner]

"Oh dear...thanks for spotting that..."

She takes out a treated napkin pack and opens it and wipes under her nose, spotting the dried blood come off only reminds her of the awkward moment at the entrance.

"Thank you. Umm.... Sorry first day it's hard to remember faces you've only seen once."

"I was clutzy and took a header into one of the supports near the entrance. Was trying to avoid trouble from one of the upperclassmen..."

"...you're not thinking of retaliation now? As far as I'm concerned the matter is sorted."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

He said to Anne, "Ryu. ... We have not met before. If you are ill, there is a school nurse. If someone has been giving you trouble ... you need only point them out to me. Welcome to class 3-A. Perhaps later, some of us will be going to get ramen. There are good local shops and local shops that only say they are good. I can show you."

Ryu was becoming a little more interested in this class. He'd been looking forward to seeing more of his old friends ... but two new exotic girls. This semester held some promise. Ryu slowly opened his book, and slowly got out his pencil case.

He considered talking more to the jumpy girl with the interesting eyes, but she seemed overly shy. No need for her to loose face, she would talk with him if she was ready ... he kept an eye on her and sent another lazy smile her way. The scar was ... interesting. There was a story there, and he studied her for a moment thinking what that might be. Of course, he kept his eyes from making too direct a contact ... that would be rude.

[Doryoku]

{oops}

[Fiona Warner]

"That is quite alright, Ryu. I will talk to administration after class or during the lunch period and notify them of the issue. Perhaps if someone can speak to the upperclassman that harassed me about how harassing new students looks bad on the school, then perhaps he may see the error of his ways."

She pulls out her notebook, resplendent with jets on the front. "Perhaps it will reduce the overall friction in the school among students and increase overall morale."

"But the thing that won't solve this is violence."

[Karren Gaunt]

Amara chuckled behind one hand. Every problem was solved with violence or the implied threat of violence. Even reporting the student to the administration was *social violence*, shaming behavior. But it wouldn't be polite to point that out, at least here and now.

"I know what duty is, Aceworth-San, and part of mine is making sure I'm never in a position to have no strength of my own to stand against my problems," she mildly remanded before nodding thanks at Ryu, "Much as it is... nice to be able to count people such as Kanagawa-San as part of one's strength at need."

The look she game the biker was considering, Ryu reminding her of the young men who came to share sake with her Father, the fresh ones smelling of ambition and the hunger to move up the food chain.

[Fiona Warner]

Anne read from Ryu he was sincere, but Amara... she had this air of wanting to manipulate the situation further.

"I'm sorry, I won't speak anymore of it. My issue is with the man in question, nothing more. I am fully capable of handling my issues."

"I'm sure this can be kept between I, the one in question and the administration without any sanctions or loss of face. Keeping up appearances is what is important, correct?"

Even in Japanese that sounded so british.

[SalmonMax]

Over the quiet conversations of students in the general stillness following the 'you're late now' bell, another sound could be heard. It had a distinct timbre to it, a quality of determination mixed with desperation, all rolled into the clopping of regulation shoes on well-maintained tiles. It was coming from outside the classroom, down the hall. It was getting nearer.

Imagine now, if you will, that this sound was the foreshadowing equivalent of the cup of water in Jurassic Park, and that it heralded the arrival of something...if perhaps not quite so carnivorous...at least as disruptive as that ill-fated drinking basin.

...pum pum pum pum Pum Pum Pum Pum PUM PUM PUM PUM...

The classroom door burst open, revealing Mizuki Sachiko in all her tomboyish glory, short hair still in disarray from her sprint for the classroom, her school uniform on, but not quite -right- with her left shoe untied and the top button of her shirt undone...presumably to keep cooler during said sprint. Her bookbag dangled from her left hand, looking dangerously low on books. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut she dropped her bag and pressed her palms together in front of her face in a gesture of supplication.

"MA'AM I AM LATE MA'AM," Sachiko belted with the force of a private speaking to his drill instructor. "MA'AM SHOULD I STAND IN THE HALL MA'AM?!"

A few seconds into the stunned silence that followed, she opened an eye...and saw the teacher's desk empty.

Instantly she relaxed and scooped her bookbag up off the floor, then gave the class room a big grinning wink and a 'V' sign with her right hand.

"Wow, I was a little worried that time, but it looks like I win again! Morning everyone!"

She made her way to the back row on the far right side and plopped her bag heavily on the desk there before plopping herself with equal weight onto the seat.

[AceWildcard]

Before Kohaku could get up he hears the thunder hooves of the late students and get squash on. This wasn't going to be an good day starting. Once they were off him he gets up and goes to find his desk. He was praying to whatever god would listen to him just to not kill him today. School was worse then hunting ghost. At least with ghost he could leave them alone if he wanted. At school he had no choice but to interact with some of the student body. He gets to his seat or what he thinks is his seat and falls down on it from sure pain of the previously being stepped down on.

[Fiona Warner]

"Well... That was.... interesting."

Anne tugs on her blazer, straightening it out from the awkward moment of Mizuki's entrance. Poor No-Luck Kohaku was practically pitiable.

She looks to Mizuki. "Umm, you're looking quite disheveled. Your left shoe is untied and your blouse isn't looking so regulation at the moment. I can say this, no matter the country, Teachers are at their most strict when school returns from a break."

Anne would have dressed her classmate down for disrespecting her uniform, but... she was having a bad day it seemed.

Then again... her behavior suggested this was her natural state.

[SalmonMax]

Sachiko looked down at her shoe, then beamed at Anne and flapped a hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. It's fine. Teachers have more problems than any other profession, so it's clear that she'll be far too busy dealing with those prroblems to come after me for something stupid like that."

[z-Galiana]

Ryu just widened an eye at Galiana's reaction to him, and in a quiet tone simply said "Pleasure to meet you. Call me Ryu."

He considered talking more to the jumpy girl with the interesting eyes, but she seemed overly shy. No need for her to loose face, she would talk with him if she was ready ... he kept an eye on her and sent another lazy smile her way. The scar was ... interesting. There was a story there, and he studied her for a moment thinking what that might be. Of course, he kept his eyes from making too direct a contact ... that would be rude.

Galiana stared at the boy as he addressed the other kids, taking advantage of his distraction to take a good look at him. He was no one she would have taken another look at on the streets – just one more young Japanese boy in a nation of Japanese people. But he was different; he had a hint of violence like her cousins wore. As if he wasn’t afraid of it.

Most humans were afraid of violence. If you showed them a street fight, they’d run the other way. If you were violent to them, they usually froze, shocked that you were attacking them. They were like sheep, milling and bleating. Then there were the humans, those rare few, who found themselves in the violence and accepted it. Ryu struck her as one of those.

When he looked back at her, she was looking at the top of her desk. Her hands were now pressed into her lap, her fingers knotted around each other tightly. She felt somewhat relaxed, but knew it was from the catnip and not true relaxation. Right now, she’d take it.

She waited until a quiet moment, when the other girls weren’t talking and the area around them was relatively quiet. Not that she could follow the conversations anyway; they were talking too rapidly for her poor Japanese to follow. Still, she felt compelled to try. “Galiana,” she whispered to her desk. She snuck another glance at him to see if he’d caught her name; her eyes made the briefest of contacts before skittering away again. “Galiana Arenilla.” Even at a whisper, the fluid cadence of her native Spanish slipped into her words.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Ryu grinned a quarter grin, just enough for Galiana to see from her angle "A pleasure Arenilla-san." He didn't speak slowly - at least not for him, but he did speak clearly.

He had caught the accent, but couldn't exactly place it. It wasn't English, and Galiana looked to have latino heritage ... so perhaps it was Spanish or Portugese? He could rarely tell the difference, even when the leather goods and wine suppliers came to the family parties.

"I am sure I have not seen you around. Welcome to our school, and perhaps welcome to Japan?" he said quietly, just for her ... with a measured bit of emotion. The tone there was could be described as warm and sincere - but still aloof enough to be coming from a classic Japanese tough-guy type. More importantly there was no hint of the subtle derision or over-politeness that so often crept into Japanese speech towards gaijin.

...

As he spoke, Ryu took a pen out of his pencil case. Then a small card, which he wrote on and handed to her. On it, it had a phone number and his Mixi name.

[z-Galiana]

Galiana listened to his words, remembering them and working them out for a long moment after she took his card. “I am new,” she admitted, her Japanese kept simple and easy. She worked over the words she needed for her next question and asked, “What is ‘mixi’?”

She dared enough to look at his eyes, though her blue eye was still largely hidden behind a veil of hair. The gaze in her brown eye was curious as she waited for him to answer her. He was drawing her out - though the catnip was helping her remain calm. If everyone here were as nice, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she would even like it here.

[Kaori Aoyama]

Kaori Aoyama silently walked into the class room. Any student that wasn't living under a rock or was completely new to the school knew of her. Long legs, barely covered by the 'mini' skirt the school called a uniform, perfect curves and an ample everything else seemed to want to burst the buttons of her blouse. It was enough to bring the hormone driven high school boys into fits of drooling panic after just a glance (Attractive 3, Guy Magnet). If Kaori had anything resembling an interest in boys, she could have probably had them on their knees offering her their life savings in exchange for a date.

If she had a personality, they might even consider it worth it.

The Brass Bound Bitch of the Bokken was well known by every man in the school (even the faculty, damn Guy Magnet) as hands down the meanest and least friendly person to have ever existed, and yet for some reason they still fauned all over her (damn Guy Magnet). The lovely girl was the epitome of discipline, having dedicated her life to her mastery of her family's martial art, Ryouichi-Ryuu. It was her passion, it was her life. Mastery of it had consumed her to the point where there was no human left, only the art. She'd become a hollow soul with only a single minded purpose.

At least she was totally hot to look at.

Most gave her a wide birth as she approached her desk, and although guys tried not to stare, they couldn't help it. Quietly and with no conversation she took her seat and began preparing for the class.

[Fiona Warner]

Gonna get shot down... Anne thinks as she sees Kaori walk in. She was glad she wore the more regulation legnth skirt. Compared to Kaori, she looked like a darned librarian. She seriously considered getting a pair of prop glasses just to complete the look.

Kaori seemed the Alpha female of the classroom. When she realized this she adjusted the bowtie on her uniform blouse and simply hoped that once the teacher arrived she can distract herself from the social dogfighting going on.

And in this sort of fight there's no ejection seat.

[Karren Gaunt]

The newest arrival didn't threaten Amara, at least on any level beyond the purely physical should she ever be stupid enough to provoke a violent reaction from the captain of the female Kendo Team, and in that respect, her discipline made her *less* dangerous than most.

"Don't worry, Aceworth-San. Aoyama-San never strikes first with words or blows unless one is disrespectful to her," she offered mildly with a nod in the direction of the older and taller girl, "It is one of her admirable qualities."

The yakuza heiress' voice remained steady and controlled, but there was respect enough in her manner. It wasn't like her friend was foolish enough to provoke such things anyway, but there was no reason for her to be unduly afraid, eiether. Fear spawned the failure of oppurtunity, and overcaution was as destructive in an individual as recklessness.

[Fiona Warner]

"Oh, conflict is not my concern." She says, organizing her desk for the third time. She's starting to get stir-crazy.

"My concern is I'm... not properly prepared for today. Or perhaps today I was over prepared."

She scratches her head. "I can recite off the top of my head useless facts about aircraft yet I have no clue about people sometimes."

"I... maybe I am a bit too rigid for my own good. Even an aircraft's skin is flexible to allow some turbulence."

[AceWildcard]

Kohaku stretch his aching body. "First day in school and I am being used an a door mat. That won't happen again. I am sick and tired of people treating me like trash. This time around I have a few tricks up my sleve in making thoose fools pay." he smirks to himself as he was thinking that. In his view he was a bit overcofident of his abilities. Even so he didn't want to show it yet. He wait for the right time to get his revenge on those whom had harm him in the past. Plus he needed to see if the paranormal club still existed. He was hoping to take the reigns of leader soon. The head left last year and most of the members that were experience left. The former head said that he had an worthy apprentice to take the lead. He hopes to see if he/she would be such a worthy person. If not, he feels like he could do it. He was still in the lowest of the low, but he was train by several of the more experience team member. Even so, he had some expereinces since the time he was out of school that gave him strenght that he could rise among his fellow club members.

[Justin OOC]

Finally Ten minutes after the bell rang, Miss Shinoji came in, setting down her own books on her desk and nodding to the class. "Sorry, I was detained by a faculty meeting. We have some new students coming in, and Now that I'm here, I'd like you to come up and introduce yourselves. Everyone else, take your seats please."

[Fiona Warner]

Anne adjusts her uniform as she gets up and she walks to the chalkboard up front. The short delay signaled to her people were shy.

"Would you want us to introduce ourselves one at a time, or in a group, Miss Shinoji?" She says in her Japanese that sounds like she was born here. "I'm not one to usually go first but it seemed people were hesitating. Perhaps standing together would... inspire their courage?"

She says that not to insult or to chide, but in a way that seemed as if she was trying to help. She sounded every bit genuine.

[SalmonMax]

Sachiko briefly looked up from the sheet of paper she'd started scribbling something on. Perhaps notes. No...no, it seemed a cat with rocket launchers was actually attempting to destroy a robot that, thanks to her dubious artistic skills, looked a bit like a thermometer with arms and legs. It did seem to possess prodigious dodging ability though, considering how hard it would be to actually dodge a ballistic projectile.

She noted Anne's presence and overfastidiousness with a callow snort, then looked back down to continue the war for galactic security that was being fought, in secret, right on her own notebook page.

[Fiona Warner]

Anne adjusted the bow on her uniform and cleared her throat. "Ah to heck with it... same disregard no matter the country." She whispered.

"I'm Anne Aceworth. Exchange student from Britain and Vice President of the Aviation club. A pleasure to meet everyone."

She bows respectfully to the class before returning to her seat.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Galiana listened to his words, remembering them and working them out for a long moment after she took his card. “I am new,” she admitted, her Japanese kept simple and easy. She worked over the words she needed for her next question and asked, “What is ‘mixi’?”

She dared enough to look at his eyes, though her blue eye was still largely hidden behind a veil of hair. The gaze in her brown eye was curious as she waited for him to answer her. He was drawing her out - though the catnip was helping her remain calm. If everyone here were as nice, maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Maybe she would even like it here.

"Mixi is like ... face-u-book, but for Japan only. Very handy for knowing what is going on, and better for mobiles. Good for business or school, and even better for making friends." he said, with a slight emphasis on the 'making friends' part. "More than twenty million on their network, and many items of news are local and in this way relevant ... because those outside Japan may not join. I will invite you from my account, after the class is over."

Ryu was very relaxed, in a way that some might see as sleepy ... but his movements were controlled, and despite his eyes being half closed in a tired student in the morning kind of way Galiana could smell the faint traces that he had already worked out hard for hours. He had showered, but there was a certain scent, as if he had been fighting. Under those half lidded eyes, his gaze was sharp.

[AceWildcard]

Kohaku remain silent on the new student. He didn't want to judge a person just by first impressions alone. He could tell at least she put in a good effort into her presentation. He wonders who will be next if any at all. He looks around to see if any new students were around. He was curious what was going to happen next.

[Fiona Warner]

The silence was a bit... disconcerting... Was she the only new student here? She scratches her head and waits.

[z-Galiana]

Ryu had helped her to relax. He seemed to know how to talk to her without upsetting her, somehow. She wasn’t sure how he did it – maybe it was because he was unperturbed by anything. She opened her mouth and said, “I don’t have that-” The teacher’s arrival cut her sentence short and made her announcement. She narrowed her eyes as she picked out the Japanese, figuring out what the teacher wanted. By the time Anne had sat back down, Galiana was fighting another panic attack.

Galiana gripped her desk, a fine tremor in her limbs. She was a new student so she should stand up now and say her name. But she remained in her seat. The teacher looked at her and said, “You, come up here.”

The young girl shook her head quickly. A snicker ran through the room and the dark-haired girl sank even lower into her seat.

“Come up here now, or you’ll have a demerit,” the teacher said firmly. “It does no good to be shy in my class. Now come here.” Gali managed to get to her feet and stagger to the front of the room. “Now, your name and the school you’re transferring from.”

“Galiana Arenilla,” she whispered. Her head was down, her hair hanging in her face again.

“Louder,” the teacher instructed.

“Galiana Arenilla.”

There was a moment of silence. “And where are you coming to us from?” the teacher pressured.

“Peru.”

“Welcome, Arenilla,” the teacher said, defaulting to last names as per the norm. There was another pause. “You can take your seat now.” Gali practically teleported, she moved so fast to get to the safety of her chair.