Ellyn had been mulling in the library all day. The table she'd claimed as her own -- one in the far back, beside a window so she could glance outside at the lovely day as it passed -- was stacked high with different reading material. Old dusty tomes, classic literature, studying materials, and some new age young adult fiction.
She'd been doing homework and intense studying earlier, but now she was just casually flipping through a few new books. She had gotten so engrossed in a book called Crooked by Laura and Tom McNeal that she hadn't realized the sun went down until she peered out the window and saw street lamps now lit the walkways to and from school.
She cursed under her breath but didn't see the reason to head out quite yet. She didn't want to go back to her dorm with her terrible roommate, the library had become her solace, just as it had been when she was back home.
"Let's see," she mused as she pulled out a history book about Manta Carlos.
It was Akane's second day at Academy. A long and stressful day! There was too much of paperwork she had to prepare and hand down at the Admissions Office. Too many places to check out. However, she wasn't tired enough to go to bed earlier that evening, so she headed right to the library as soon as the last thing from her personal schedule was done.
The library too, as she could expect, was gorgeous. She was walking around inspecting it quite some time before she finally got back to it's history section.
'Now, where to start....' She wondered, looking all those books. She started moving slowly alongside the shelves, reading the titles and occasionally writing something down in her notebook.
When she was done, she picked two books from a shelf, one about history of the Academy, and the other about history of Manta Carlos.
'Well, these two will do for now' she thought and headed to the tables, only to realize they were all occupied.
She was scanning the place for some time, and just when she was about to give up on reading at the library and proceed to her room, she spotted a girl reading next to the window and a free seat in front of her at the same table
'A human?' she thought looking at the girl. She was the first human being Akane saw at the Academy and it felt strange. She couldn't see well from the distance, but it seemed to her by the covers that the girl too was reading the history of Manta Carlos. She hesitated a bit, but in the end she decided to approach her.
"Um... Excuse me..." she whispered not to disturb other people. "Is this seat occupied?"
The library too, as she could expect, was gorgeous. She was walking around inspecting it quite some time before she finally got back to it's history section.
'Now, where to start....' She wondered, looking all those books. She started moving slowly alongside the shelves, reading the titles and occasionally writing something down in her notebook.
When she was done, she picked two books from a shelf, one about history of the Academy, and the other about history of Manta Carlos.
'Well, these two will do for now' she thought and headed to the tables, only to realize they were all occupied.
She was scanning the place for some time, and just when she was about to give up on reading at the library and proceed to her room, she spotted a girl reading next to the window and a free seat in front of her at the same table
'A human?' she thought looking at the girl. She was the first human being Akane saw at the Academy and it felt strange. She couldn't see well from the distance, but it seemed to her by the covers that the girl too was reading the history of Manta Carlos. She hesitated a bit, but in the end she decided to approach her.
"Um... Excuse me..." she whispered not to disturb other people. "Is this seat occupied?"
Ellyn looked up, surprise written on her face. She had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even heard the other woman approach. "Huh?" she looked at the empty seat, taking a moment to register what had been said. "Yes. I mean, no. The seat is free."
Ellyn had been here long enough at this point to no longer be surprised by people staying up late (some creatures were nocturnal) or different appearances. She'd seen all manners of creatures and magic humans. Demons, werewolves, vampires, you name it. Though, she did wonder what Emily could do? She shook that out of her head. Screw Emily. Emily was a jerk. She didn't want to think about her.
Ellyn realized then that she was watching the other woman and smiled to lessen her serious expression. "Sorry. My name is Ellyn Korvyn. It's nice to meet you...?"
She placed the borrowed books and her notebook on a side of the desk and thanked the girl, looking at her with a slightly stiff expression, still a bit surprised by seeing a human being there. When the girl introduced to her with a smile though, she too gave her a bright one.
"I'm Akane, 12th grade. It's nice to meet you too Ellyn!" She bowed to the girl and then took a seat.
"I'm sorry I've disturbed you, I didn't really expect it would be this crowded here, even at this late hour." she added and took a quick look at the book Ellyn was holding. "But it seems like the right spot was saved for me, though..." she smiled again, picking up her copy of the history of Manta Carlos and showing it to Ellyn, implying they could study together.
"I'm Akane, 12th grade. It's nice to meet you too Ellyn!" She bowed to the girl and then took a seat.
"I'm sorry I've disturbed you, I didn't really expect it would be this crowded here, even at this late hour." she added and took a quick look at the book Ellyn was holding. "But it seems like the right spot was saved for me, though..." she smiled again, picking up her copy of the history of Manta Carlos and showing it to Ellyn, implying they could study together.
Ellyn's eyes brightened when she saw Akane had the same studying material that she did. "Oh, yeah. The place was founded by pirates. Interesting, isn't it?" The redhead glanced around at all the people loitering the library. "Yeah. I mean, there are some nocturnal creatures at the school, so there are night classes and the such."
Ellyn set her book aside and gave the girl her full attention. "You haven't been here long, have you?" she gave a knowing grin. It was always obvious when someone was new to Manta Carlos.
Akane nodded at Ellyn's remark about the people around and followed her putting aside the book. "Yes, I've just transferred here yesterday. And about the book, I have yet to read it actually, but it certainly sounds interesting judging from your words!" She replied.
She wasn't one of those overly curious people, but the idea of human attending the Academy was still mocking her. She would probably keep it to herself if Ellyn didn't turn to her in such a friendly manner, even giving up reading (which she seemed to love very much), but she felt encouraged by Ellyn's behavior so she decided to go for it and ask.
"Um... I don't want to sound rude or anything but, are you a... Human?"
She wasn't one of those overly curious people, but the idea of human attending the Academy was still mocking her. She would probably keep it to herself if Ellyn didn't turn to her in such a friendly manner, even giving up reading (which she seemed to love very much), but she felt encouraged by Ellyn's behavior so she decided to go for it and ask.
"Um... I don't want to sound rude or anything but, are you a... Human?"
At first, Ellyn didn't understand why Akane seemed so confused by the prospect of Ellyn being a human. There were so many cultures here that, although Ellyn had been here a good while, it still took some getting used to.
"I am, yes. Not fully. I possess magic, like almost everyone here. You'll see quite a lot of magical humans here and some creatures who look human but are not. Some of them just use glamour." Ellyn thought a moment, debating something internally. "So far I've seen demons, anthropomorphic, shadow creatures, fae, and shapeshifters. No so many aquatics or elves, but maybe I've just missed them. If you go to town, you'll see a wide variety of different creatures and cultures."
Akane instantly regretted asking when she noticed the look Ellyn gave her before she started speaking. She thought that she might have insulted her by the question. She listened to Ellyn silently, all the while trying to find proper words to explain her curiosity.
"I see... Well, sorry I asked, it probably sounded improper. It's not that I dislike humans, quite the opposite! It just felt kind of strange, although I've heard that I might come across them here... You know, I've previously spent some time in normal high school constantly covering the fact I'm not normal. Maybe that's why it's so strange now..." she paused for a second.
"I guess that magic explains a lot. Possessing it makes you supernatural too, so it's nothing like scary or weird for you to be here." she smiled.
"But, that's amazing - you seem to know quite a lot about different species and cultures!" she added with admiration "Maybe you could help me with studies if... if it's not too much to ask of you, of course?" she asked shyly.
"I see... Well, sorry I asked, it probably sounded improper. It's not that I dislike humans, quite the opposite! It just felt kind of strange, although I've heard that I might come across them here... You know, I've previously spent some time in normal high school constantly covering the fact I'm not normal. Maybe that's why it's so strange now..." she paused for a second.
"I guess that magic explains a lot. Possessing it makes you supernatural too, so it's nothing like scary or weird for you to be here." she smiled.
"But, that's amazing - you seem to know quite a lot about different species and cultures!" she added with admiration "Maybe you could help me with studies if... if it's not too much to ask of you, of course?" she asked shyly.
"Oh, of course!" Ellyn beamed. "And I'm not offended in the least. It can be a bit much when you're new here, and most of the students have been through that. After you've spent a few weeks here, it stops feeling like that. Most of my knowledge about other cultures came from just living in the dorms. You're new to the island, which means you're probably staying in a dorm, aren't you? You wouldn't happen to know which classes you have already, would you?"
Ellyn moved her chair so she could sit closer to Akane and not have to speak so loudly. She moved her pile of books with her.
'Wooah, such a nice person she is...' Akane thought listening to the girl. She didn't really expect to make friends that quickly. Sure, she had Kenta already, but that was different - he was kitsune. This was new to her, and it felt very pleasant.
"Thank you, I'm really looking forward to studying with you!" she said making room for Ellyn's chair next to her.
"And yes, you're right, I'm staying in a dorm room and I still don't know which classes I'll be taking. It happened all too sudden..." she started recalling the events "The power... trip home... training... rituals... and then I was transferred here. It was a mess you know, so nobody really got to tell me too much about this place... So, is it possible to pick classes on your own, or are they scheduled for us?"
"Thank you, I'm really looking forward to studying with you!" she said making room for Ellyn's chair next to her.
"And yes, you're right, I'm staying in a dorm room and I still don't know which classes I'll be taking. It happened all too sudden..." she started recalling the events "The power... trip home... training... rituals... and then I was transferred here. It was a mess you know, so nobody really got to tell me too much about this place... So, is it possible to pick classes on your own, or are they scheduled for us?"