ORIENTATION

[allforevil]

[When you start to stir from your slumber, you awaken to the smell of dust and rotted wood. Your bed is far from comfortable -- lumps in the mattress, a tattered blanket that barely keeps you warm and a pillow almost as hard as a rock-- and you'll immediately see there are others in your room with you.

All of you are confused, surely. "Where am I?" "What place is this?" Questions like that stir through your mind while you take in your surroundings. Something might catch your eye before anything else, though. A coloured chest tied with a bow, a large gift tag is attached to it with your name on it. There's one for everyone in each dorm, and if you open it you'll find:

An old, worn school uniform.
A colourful costume.
And a pamphlet with information about you, about your stay in this Academy, and a map of the layout of the school and the training grounds outside. The descriptions are vague, leaving out important details about your new super powers called "Quirks", a bland description about how you were selected to join the Academy called "VA" (no explanation what it means), and even the map has lame descriptions of locations that don't really give you a good idea of where you're staying.

Before you can start exploring, or chatting away with your neighbors, a voice rings over old intercoms. It sounds low and comforting, like a long lost friend. But there's something about that that feels.. unsettling. A feeling in your gut that this voice was anything but friendly.

"Welcome, students. You must be very confused, but I assure you I'll be able to answer all the questions you have in just a few minutes.

For now, relax, explore, and meet your new classmates who will be staying with you during this semester.

Oh, but..... whatever you do, don't enter the dining room."

The intercom cuts off, leaving you with a cryptic message to think about on top of.. everything else you're dealing with right now.]

Comments

[encelevenemus]

[He did of course hear the announcement in a half-awake haze, but Somnus was—as perhaps the name suggested—not a morning person. Processing that much would take a while, but first he rolled over and—]

[-fell out of a top bunk in dorm A to land unceremoniously on the floor.]

[After eventually recovering from that, he could be found wandering around with a critical frown at nearly everything—reading through the pamphlet, scrutinizing the map, but in particular he was lingering outside the dining room.]

dorm A

[hebibara]

[ welp, watches this dude fall to the floor next to him ig ]

Aah, that was quite a fall! I suppose your -- [ glances back down at pamphlet ] "quirk"- doesn't give you power over gravity, hm? Not to make light, of course!

[ waves hand apologetically ]

Shall I administer first aid? Tell me where it hurts, if you please!

[encelevenemus]

[Where it hurt? Mostly his pride.]

[Something about that--maybe the phrasing, maybe the offer itself--seemed to startle the man in black, briefly looking up as though he'd seen a ghost before swiftly recovering.]

I am uninjured. What is going on?

[hebibara]

[ Hm. Reaction noted. ]

Oh, that is a most welcome relief!

It seems that we've all abruptly found ourselves in this unfamiliar place -- judging by your question, I assume I can count you among us!

Each of us has been given a personal chest with a welcome letter -- as students at this "Academy" [ though you look pretty old for that lmao ] -- and a few other items, so I would recommend that as your starting point.

[ Getting up and helpfully going to check the still unclaimed chests! ]

Let's see, what name should I be looking for?

[encelevenemus]

What-?

[Being asked for his name clearly threw him off yet further, like the very question was ludicrous.]

...His Majesty Somnus Lucis Caelum I, king of Lucis.

[hebibara]

Ah! I hope that you shall forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty, and that I have not unwittingly spoken out of turn up until now!

[ This kind of talk seems to come very naturally to him. It doesn't even sound sarcastic. ]

I am, of course, your humble servant!

[ He bows for good measure. Now, let's see... ]

Here we are, Your Majesty! I apologize that it does not appear to be much more luxurious than my own; clearly our host must have made an error on the requisition forms. Perhaps we could lodge a formal complaint.

[ A n y w a y, he's just going to stay here and watch over His Majesty's shoulder as he opens it. ]

dining room

[iseedollpeople]

[Hmmm. Mei has been more-or-less obediently exploring (which, to be fair, she would have done anyway) and being waylaid by her so-called classmates (because who needs socializing when you've gone from one horror school to another horror school, and just in general, ever); eventually, though, she drifts towards the dining room.

Because places like this -- with things to hide, so many people to mess around with -- she's bad at leaving them alone, in her own way. So here she is.

So now there's two of them loitering. She might try to peek in at some point, but she's certainly contrary enough not to address the other elephant outside the room.]

[encelevenemus]

Were I the sort to gamble, I might wager that our ghostly disembodied voice's source is but within those doors.

[...Said a man who looked annoyed he'd been told not to do something.]

Would you agree?

[iseedollpeople]

... A ghostly disembodied voice would fit.

[Mei gives him a look that's just a little curious, though she otherwise gives her opinion with an almost pleasant patience. Or maybe it's distraction. She's watching the room.]

But it's possible the P.A. system is set up in there.

[encelevenemus]

The...what?

[oh jesus lucian christ here we go.]

[iseedollpeople]

The Public Announcement system.

[I'm sorry you chose this girl to ask for an explanation because we might be here for a very long time before a satisfactory explanation is produced.]

dining room

[skittlestm]

[ she'd be lying if her immediate instincts upon being told not to go somewhere weren't "go there and hunt for skittles™" but like. this clearly isn't home? ]

You thinking of going in?

[encelevenemus]

Were I not divested of my weaponry, I would be past these doors already. To my regret, such is not the case and I am at a disadvantage.

[skittlestm]

Oh. Yeah, I feel that.

[ She looks at the door. ]

Is it locked, or do you just really want to be prepared for what's on the other side?

[encelevenemus]

The latter. 'Twould be foolish to investigate whether or not it was locked unless one were fully prepared to face it once opened.

dining room

[tokencanadian]

[Honestly, what with the single rule they heard over the intercom, it doesn't surprise Pyrrha terribly much to see people gathering outside the dining room... herself included.

And what an assortment of people it is. She knew there were people here around her age-- naturally, since it was a school, but this man was definitely not around her age.]

Well, they did say we shouldn't go into the dining room. [Seems like a good idea to reiterate that.]

[encelevenemus]

The crown of Lucis is beholden not to the rules of some nameless voice.

[that's ye olde speak for 'fuck you i won't do what you tell me']

[tokencanadian]

[Considering she just came from a fight that boiled down to "fuck the world, I'm doing what I can" she can respect that, almost.]

Are you saying that you're royalty? What... are you doing here?

[She assumed people of importance - actual importance - were evacuated in a different way.]

[encelevenemus]

Very much a question I would see answered in short order.

['do i LOOK like i know?']

[tokencanadian]

[HM It's true, he doesn't look like he knows.]

Then, you don't know either. It feels like everyone has the same answer for that. I'm... starting to think this isn't some kind of relief effort.

dining room;

[lacampanella]

[ Well. That's interesting - another person lingering around the dining room!

But anyway, he'll peer over from nearby room (probably the kitchen), noticing the other scrutinizing, and...

Clap his hands together once very loudly and suddenly. ]

[encelevenemus]

[It wasn't quite accurate to say Somnus jumped at the noise--more than he was instantly on guard, right hand moving strangely as though he expected something to appear in his grasp and a brief scowl when nothing did.]

Whatever was that for?

[lacampanella]

Hehe, just to see your reaction! You need to be prepared for anything in a situation like this, right?

[ Sorry he's like this, Somnus. ]

[encelevenemus]

[why this]

You've no need of testing my preparation. I am capable enough.

[lacampanella]

That's what they all say.

[ Because. Because is why. ]

...But you do look strong. [ He's talking about the muscles... ] Are you a soldier back home?