Tour around Campus

Romi

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Anastasia had gone to a small public school back in Russia. It had been highly rated, and had excellent teachers, but that had more to do with living in a well off area. It had not been amazing. It had not had teachers from all around the world. It had been alright, but not amazing.

The sort of reputation Starlight Academy would have if more people knew of it was one of the reasons that Anastasia was not half so bitter as she might otherwise have been. She had been graduated - done with highschool entirely - and then she'd ended up moving here, where she had a whole extra year ahead of her. At least it would not be a wasted year, and if anything, the extra year would give her time to catch up on whatever passed as a curriculum on the islands. More importantly, it would be a bit of a social education, letting her get used to... well, the things that were supposed to be her classmates.

When she'd been invited to an island for the 'gifted', she'd expected humans. Humans with powers, or perhaps humans with odd features like wings, but human beings none the less. Instead she'd gotten... well, lots of things. Aliens that looked like bugs, demons, and a whole manner of things that were so far beyond what she could even describe. Some could pass as human in a crowd, but plenty couldn't. Plenty would have stuck out like a sore thumb no matter where in the world they went, and only could live normal lives on the islands.

It gave her a certain sort of appreciation for the fact that despite her not being quite human, she did look like it at the very least.

Standing just outside the gates, she waited for her designated tour guide. There were formal guides for the students that started with the elementary school, but those who were older were instead simply stuck with one of the upper classmen and then toured around individually. Anastasia supposed that was fine, although she'd have preferred a tour group. Less attention on her, less focus, and more time for her to look at everything without someone thinking she wasn't paying attention to them.
Tag to @"Paradox"
 

Trahnael

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Adelene was given a large question mark on top of her head. A few days ago, one of her teachers called her to the admissions office and told her about a new student, a girl named Anastasia, and asked her to give this girl a tour around the school once she arrives. Said she was chosen because she was a good student, a good role model as an upperclassman.

The big question mark was mainly about that. She was studious, yes, but how can her teacher see her capable of giving a tour to a new comer? She has only been staying here for months herself, and she has very few friends, and strangely they were mostly guys. Concerning that last part, Adelene thought this was a good way to make a female acquaintance. But she wasn't all that confident about interacting with people, not yet.

She arrived at the gates at the exact given time, looking around for any new face. Because she didn't particularly know what this Anastasia would look like. She used a couple of moments, before stepping out of the gate, and immediately catching an unfamiliar girl just by the gates itself. She was slightly nervous, but she approached her anyway, putting on a calm and gentle smile just to make sure she looked friendly. She hoped her getup wasn't intimidating though, since she wore a black leather jacket, a red tank top, a pair of khaki denim shorts, and black high-quality combat shoes. It was one of her usual combination of clothes, she hoped the new girl didn't mind.

"Excuse me," she spoke with enough volume, though her tone itself was gentle. "Are you, by any chance, Anastasia? My name is Adelene. The staff told me that I'm to give you a tour today," she smiled a little wider. "Welcome to the Academy."​
 

Romi

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A few months was more than a day, which was exactly how long Anastasia had been on the island when she finally got her tour. She knew the way to the cafeteria, the way to her dorm, and... well, that was it. She didn't know the way to classes, and was forced to navigate via signs and the small map she'd been given as part of her orientation. Having a map was useful, yes, but it was certainly not as good as actually knowing her way around. As eager as she was to settle in, she wasn't quite eager enough to go exploring around by herself on a strange island filled with strange things. She had no idea what was out there. For all she knew there were literal monsters waiting in the forest who would kill and eat anyone they came across.

Alright, that last one seemed a bit out there, but she hadn't thought 'strange alien bug thing' would be a student either.

It was a relief to see a human being (or something that passed as a human being) approaching her. She hadn't been told who it would be, just to keep an eye out, and since the girl was smiling and approaching her... well, it wasn't hard to figure out. She seemed casual enough, and her outfit wasn't all that far off Anastasia's own, although she'd opted for a t-shirt and jeans, and gone without any jacket.

"Yes, that would be me." She gave a little nod of her head, offering a smile that seemed a tad forced. "Lets get acquainted." A fairly bizarre thing for most people to say, but entirely normal in Russian. You were supposed to greet people, agree to get to know one another... and, well, then get to know each other. Technically Adelene had skipped ahead a bit, but formality was important.
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Trahnael

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First thing came to mind after a second of observing Anastasia: Wow, she's tall. Adelene took a deep breath, obviously trying to ease up. With them vis-a-vis one another, she felt really small being almost a foot shorter. When Anastasia spoke though, she realized she was Russian, which absolutely makes sense.

"Ah, yes, let's." She wasn't sure what Anastasia meant by getting acquainted, so she just assumed the girl was just voicing it out for formality. Well, they'll get acquainted as they walk around the campus, so she found no trouble in that.

She gestured to the gate, taking a step towards it, though her eyes were still on Anastasia. "Shall we start, then? We'll take it slow and easy, so you can feel the atmosphere and all. And then we can visit the cafeteria afterwards. If you don't mind, I mean."​
 

Romi

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Anastasia did not consider herself particularly tall, but then the majority of her family was on the tall side. It was easy to consider yourself 'tall' when surrounded by people barely at five feet, but a lot harder to do so when plenty of your relatives were more than six feet tall.

Despite having seemingly no idea about Russian formal customs, Adelene answered properly, and Anastasia smiled as a result, even if it was only a brief moment. Anastasia's smiles never seemed to last very long.

"I am fine with whatever you would like. I have only seen part of the cafeteria and the dorms. I was also given a map." She paused, dipping a hand into the pocket and pulling out a neatly folded map of the school that had come with her orientation packet. "I have studied it, but the map does not seem to be one hundred percent correct." Some things were not exactly where they should be - a doorway in the wrong place, a room that had been relabeled... the map was probably a year or two out of date.

"Have you always lived here on the island?" Accent aside, Anastasia's biggest struggle with english was the fact that she sounded very formal. More like a formal grandmother speaking than a seventeen year old. Slang didn't exactly carry over well between languages.

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Trahnael

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Adelene briefly paused, tilting her head at the mention of an inaccurate map. "Well. Maybe we should get a new one from the admissions office?" she suggested. "Come, the tour would pretty much help, especially if you have a good sense in directions." She started to walk, assuming that Anastasia was just following behind her. She wanted to check out the map, but Anastasia was too formal for her and she was worried she might not want them to be too physically close.

"Wanna head to the admissions office now?"

Just inside the gate was the parking lot. The building for admissions was just to the right, while to the left was the infirmary and the storage area and garbage disposal area. In front of them was the huge fountain and beyond it was the auditorium hall. The campus was slightly huge, she hoped a good hour or two of walking was okay for Anastasia.

She turned to her at the question, smiling as she shook her head. "No, I've only been here for a few months myself." Anastasia's accent was so beautiful for her. She was glad the girl wasn't very silent. "And what brings you here, if you don't mind me asking?"

 

Romi

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Perhaps she was just being picky. No, scratch that - she was being picky. Anastasia was used to military efficiency, and while it might not matter that the door was shown to be at the back left side rather than the front left side on a map of the school, it would absolutely matter in a military setting. She felt momentarily embarrassed at the realization. Adelene probably thought the map was very inaccurate, when really it just wasn't up to Anastasia's standards.

She followed behind her for a moment before sliding in beside her, walking in sync easily. "I apologize - I was not very clear. The map is not so bad. It is probably the most recent updated one, but still has small errors." Was that enough of an explanation? Hopefully it was, because Anastasia couldn't think of a better way to explain without making herself sound crazy. She nodded to the mention of the admissions office, realizing she'd left it out of her list - but she'd only been there once and wasn't really sure she'd be able to find her way back perfectly.

The question was one she should have expected, and yet it still caught her off guard. It was not a happy question, and she had to wonder how many people came to the island in poor circumstances. Anastasia had little interest in sugar coating things, and opted to be as direct as possible in her answer - there would be no ambiguity.

"I was killed, and then came back from the dead. I am hoping there will be answers here as to why." And it was an escape from Russia and the media circus around her parents death, but that was a distant second as far as her priorities went.

Tag to @"Paradox"
 

Trahnael

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"Oh, I see. Getting a new map might not help then, since all the recent copies are the same anyway."

Adelene didn't really mind Anastasia's pickiness. To her, maps shouldn't have inaccuracies, because maps are for guiding people through unfamiliar places, and if the guide can't do a good job, then what else can it be used for?

"If that's the case, it might be better if you just strike out wrong info as we go. Let's familiarize ourselves with the admissions building, come on."

She led the way to the building to the right. Though her eyes were set on where they were going, Adelene was listening very carefully, not wanting to offend the newcomer by looking indifferent. She was very far from indifferent. She nodded, to show that she picked up all the details, unconsciously making a small empathetic frown.

She never could take death, and talks of it, so well.

"I was being chased by someone who wanted my abilities," she felt like she had to share her own story in return. "He was going to use it for revenge. I can't let him have it. So I went here to... hide, I suppose, the moment I received a letter from the Academy."

They walked into the building. There were mostly offices here, and Adelene suggested that they just walk through the hallways to see all the accessible rooms so Anastasia can remember them and maybe correct her map in the process.
 

Romi

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Anastasia supposed it showed just how bizarre the island was that Adelene didn't scream or show any real sign of surprise. She was sympathetic, certainly, but there was no disbelief, no 'you're pulling my leg'. If she'd said that anywhere in Russia, they'd have locked her up and declared her insane. Even when faced with the obvious truth - that multiple people had seen her and decided she was dead - it had simply been easier for them to claim that all those people had been mistaken then it was to admit she'd come back to life.

"I suppose I am lucky in that respect. There is no worry that someone might try and take my ability in any way, or truly use it for themselves... although I suppose they might wish to study me if I was outed." Was that even a risk? Or did enough people know that it wasn't a true risk? "Are many powers something that can be taken?" Perhaps she was misinterpreting what was being said. She didn't know the other girl's powers, but it sounded as if her power was something that could be taken without issue.

Despite the fairly involved talk, Anastasia's eyes continued to flick around their surroundings, taking it in and doing her best to remember it all. She would be living here for at least another few years. She would have to remember it all.

Tag to @"Paradox"
 

Trahnael

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Another small frown crept on Adelene's face when Anastasia mentioned the risk in her powers. There was always risk. And that was why they were here in the island, to manage their powers and get themselves fixed if needed.

"Not all powers can be taken of course," she said. In no time, they were already done rounding the admissions building and they were back outside, and Adelene led Anastasia towards the fountain. "My power is just a little... complicated. But I hope you don't mind if I keep the how a secret. I can't risk anyone knowing."

An apologetic smile.

"By the way, what classes do you have and when will you start? Maybe we should check your classrooms first before anything else. What do you say?"
 
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