Welcome to Gaia! ::

The paths and grounds that lay between and connect the various buildings of the school.

The grounds are grassy, with a few stone paths connecting the main buildings. The lake lies in the center of the open fields, the bell tower standing sentry behind it. In the winter, snow covers the grass and the lake freezes over.

The grounds are open, allowing various forms of wildlife to populate the campus. Security hunts down anything dangerous, but allows such fauna as deer and rabbits to run freely around the fields.

Spaced along the stone paths are streetlamps to illuminate the grounds after dark. After the midnight curfew, the lamps turn off, as all students ought to be inside at that hour.

Don't stay out too late.

A tall, lean boy sat in the shade of a tree at the edge of the lake, watching the arriving students for signs of people he knew. Most importantly, he watched for signs of Sherlock and Maeza... mostly Mae. It was imperative he get to Mae before Viola did, lest Viola break the news before he could.

He stretched his arms up to the nearest branch, his shirt lifting up a bit. The burn scars stretched over most his torso and, though he kept them covered, his arms and shoulders too. They didn't hurt anymore. The most visibly jarring memento of the war he had were his eyes, bled of shadow from black to gray, and his hair, which had inexplicably become lighter. Was it changing to a color? He had no way to know, and no one at home would appreciate it if it was; all Lurkers were colorblind.

Tom swung his arms back down from the branch to rest with a thump at his sides. He stared out across the lake, waiting for them. Waiting for her. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out exactly how to break the news. His foot tapped impatiently as the shadows grew longer, the sun rose higher, and the day wore on. The prince began to wonder if he could track Mae down elsewhere... but she didn't cast a shadow. Son of the gods be damned straight to hell... He slouched against the trunk of his tree, staring out at the surface of the lake and the paths beyond it.

"Welcome back to hell, folks," he said dismally to a passing student, realizing it was Cosmo. "Oh. Hey, Coz. See you at dinner?"

Tom swung up into the tree to avoid conversation with the motormouthed star prince. He didn't feel like talking to anyone until he could get to Mae.

☆═━Maeza Lee━═☆

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Maeza's summer had gone relatively well. She didn't go home for obvious reasons, but spent the time in a hotel in the town. She and Tom had communicated a bit at first, but then he stopped replying. Maeza attributed it to the fact that he was back home and was busy.

The Night Fairy had checked out of the hotel that morning and was making the trip to the school, newly grown wings fluttering behind her. They were still in the process of healing, so the color was a bit off. Maeza was softly humming a random tune as she made her way to the Academy. She thought again of seeing Tom and couldn't help but smile. She waved at Cosmo and was about to strike up a conversation when movement in the tree caught her eye. She looked over and grinned when she was who it was.

"Tom!" she yelled, abandoning her luggage as she shot up. She misjudged the distance and ended up crashing into the Shadowlurker. She wrapped her arms tightly around him as they fell, partially as a hug and partially out of instinct. They fell into the shallows of the lake, Maeza on top of Tom and both of them soaked. "Oh my god, are you okay?" she gasped. Her eye patch had shifted just a bit in the fall and she was quick to readjust it.

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ﻬஐﻬ ஐﻬ ஐﻬ Princess Amaranthஐﻬ ஐﻬ ஐﻬ

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Like Sherlock, Amaranth had taken to watching the scenery pass by through the carriage window as the entered the school grounds. Even though the grounds had been cleaned, she could still see where the carnage had taken place, where bodies had been. The scars of the land were obvious to the elf. She ended up closing her eyes, no longer wishing to look outside.

The summer had been rather unique for Amaranth. Sherlock's mother and her own had somehow made contact and arranged for Sherlock to visit her kingdom for a couple of weeks and ride back to the Academy with her. It had simultaneously been the highlight of Amaranth's summer and the worst part. Everyday, the elven queen would drop not-so-subtle hints about the two of them getting married someday. She frowned slightly at the thought an pushed is away.

Sherlock's familiar voice cut through her thoughts and Amaranth opened her eyes and focused them on Sherlock. "I've learned to not talk during those. Right now, I didn't see a reason to speak...would you like to talk?" she asked. Conversing with the human was always something Amaranth ended up enjoying, though it certainly didn't always start that way.

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Tom heard her voice from behind him and cringed mightily. Blinking away the pain, he turned around to face her. "Oh for king's sake, Viola, you couldn't wait ten seconds? Ten pitching seconds?"

He stepped forward into the light, placing himself between Viola and Maeza. "Mae, this is the absolute light of my life," he said harshly, staring Viola down. "The lady Viola Edendottir. We're engaged to be married. Eventually. Maybe." Hopefully not. Not if he had any say about it... which, to be honest, it didn't look like he did.

But he had to hope. He crossed his arms, refusing to let either get near the other. The light was harsh and Mae's enchanted shirt was all he had to fight against it, but he wasn't about to budge. "Viola, you know damn well who this is, don't you dare start that passive aggressive crap."