Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Well!" Elliot replied, getting to his feet and stretching in an almost cat-like manner before reaching down to slip the bag back over his shoulder with the expression of one lifting a pile of gigantic rocks onto their bare back- rather than the one any normal person would more than likely adorn when lifting an easily carried sports bag. "That shouldn't be too difficult- the impression thing, I mean."
He flashed a grin, heading lightly in her direction and pausing on his way toward the door.
"Anything would leave an impression, with a creepy gatehouse, an off-limits dorm with a different name base than the other two tree-ish dorms, and coolio pointy-eared teachers." He shrugged, stepping easily by her into the hallway, already starting down it as he called back over his shoulder in an afterthought.
"And I WOULD say goodbye to you, Miss, but I only say that to the dying, people I don't eeeeever want to see again, or people I know for a fact I won't wind up seeing again, so! To /you/ I'll just say: probably see yah randomly, kay?"

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((And now for a beastly post written by yours truly xD))

Alex walked to the doorway of Anna’s office with a bit of hesitation. Women administrators, at least in his experience, were only predictable once they could be sorted into a neat division. Would she be the sweet sort, always helpful and diligent in her work? The lazy type, who may or may not be concerned but at least tried? Or the complete ornery bitches that would rather chuck a stapler at your face, but grudgingly finds themselves helping you anyhow?

He really hated dealing with people.

But, he drew in a deep breath, imagining it filling his lungs with strength. From there, he envisioned it spreading to every bone in his body. All right, he thought, knocking upon the door. Let’s get this over with.

Anna, who had been sitting deep in thought, looked up sharply upon hearing it. Several hours had passed since the last student had come, which left her with far too much time to reflect on the past. But how thankful she was to have been brought out of that darkness...

And yet there in the doorway she was faced with a rather dark young man. Hair black as a storm, eyes rimmed with a delicate line of black. But his eyes, those were blue, betraying the entire image he wanted the world to see. She could only examine them better if he came closer.
“Yes, come in,” she said in the cheeriest voice she could bring herself to. And Alex did so. He walked slowly so he could properly examine everything and know where he was. Books lined the walls, resting on shining cherry wood shelves. Clearly she was a scholar, but that came as no surprise with her position in the Academy.
There were feminine touches here and there, too, like a crystal hanging in the window or a fake flower resting upon a side table. It was homey and yet professional. Nice.

“Hello,” Alex murmured as he sat down in the chair. It was comfortable, like the entire office was. Already he felt a sort of peace, the kind Anna wished she could find once again. She did, however, find happiness in being hospitable, which she showed by extending her usual invitation of tea and a few cookies. To his own surprise, Alex found himself saying yes. He didn’t usually drink tea. But then again, he hadn’t really seen the point until now.

“There! You’re the first in awhile to accept that offer!” The elf rose and bustled over to her tea chest, which she brought over to Alex’s side. “What would you like? Choose anything, don’t hesitate.” Caring for him was such a good outlet. He really had no idea how much a simple nod of the head had opened up her heart.

The selection inside the chest was good, with variants of sweet teas, bitter, or traditional flavors. He knew as much about tea as he did about nuclear physics.
“Uh... what would you recommend? I... don’t really know what I’d like.” He quirked a smile before glancing up at her soft brown eyes. They were lighter, he noticed, than most people’s brown eyes. Odd.

“Well, I think you’d be safe with something like Earl Grey. It may not be exciting, but who knows? You may like it.” That was good enough for Alex. He plucked the little packet from the box, and watched as Anna placed the chest back on the tabletop where it had been before.

She then retrieved a mug from the small rack above the desk, and went to fill it with hot water from the water cooler. How strange, she thought as the steaming water filled to the top, that his appearance was so against how he felt to her. Alex came off as a young man who was gentle, perhaps a little prone to trouble judging by his choice of dress, but a good person. Her elven instinct told her as much, and she was rarely wrong with humans at least.

Anna pulled herself from her thoughts as she returned with the mug and placed it in front of Alex. “Here you are. But now, we need to get down to business. May I see your letter of acceptance?”

As she took her seat again, Alex fiddled with the pocket of his coat. The letter had been crunched inside haphazardly before his taxi came for him at the airport. He had been reading it over and over again, memorizing all the words, because even then he knew Grove Academy would hold a new beginning for him. And though he had no idea at the time that a fiery red head was about to sweep him away, Alex felt like he was destined for an adventure.
With some embarrassment, he handed the crumpled envelope to Anna.

“This has been through a little journey, hasn’t it?” she laughed. It was a small task to smooth it out as he mumbled apologies, but soon enough Anna knew his name and where to find his packet within her filing drawer. “Alright. So, first things first. I must impress upon you that there has been a terrible accident here, and that you must exercise caution while on school grounds.” A small cloud seemed to drift over the peaceful place then. Alex took note of the sadness that veiled the elf’s eyes, but didn’t press the issue. He simply nodded, and watched her pull out a large envelope from a drawer he couldn’t see.

Anna searched inside briefly to make sure that everything was there before handing it over to him. “You’ll be staying in the Oak dorm, in room 108. Please don’t alter your room in any radical way while dorming.” Most students never felt the need to anyhow, as every room was so beautifully decorated to everyone’s taste that they were satisfied. Alex nodded and made sure to really pay attention so he wouldn’t mess up. He was never good at interior decorating anyways. He even sipped tea while the discussion spanned on. “Maple dorms are off-limits unless you have been invited. But, you cannot stay overnight, just as you cannot have any overnight female guests in Oak.”

Immediately his mind went to Danni. Damn, he thought. They had been all over each other in her place, but if they couldn’t do over-nighters, then that was that. Being thrown out of his dream school and sent back to his father all because of a female seemed a pretty poor way to go. He missed Anna’s little smile as she noted the change in his expression. Even she could tell that Alex had met someone already that made him regret that rule at least.
“The Keystone dorms are to be treated in the same way. No going there unless you’ve been invited.”

“Who stays in Keystone?” he asked suddenly. Maple had the girls, Oak had the guys. So who stayed there? He watched carefully as Anna only gave another little knowing smile.

“Gifted students. You’ll see for yourself in time.” And before Alex could object to such a vague answer, Anna pressed onward with her memorized set of rules and regulations.
“There is a Gatehouse, which is off-limits to all students. You may never go there, and because of security, it is not recommended that you even go close. The town of Moliné may be visited for supplies and uniforms, though.”

Alex couldn’t help but grin as he remembered that little adventure, a grin that he tried to hide behind his mug as he forced himself to finish the rest. Danni had proven herself to be a real spitfire, even when she didn’t need to be. Her voice, her looks, her spirit... Ah, that girl just kept popping up in his mind. But with that make-out session, who could forget?
“I’ve, uh, already been there, thanks,” was all he could bring himself to say without revealing his little secret.

“Lovely!” she said with a smile. No questions were asked on the matter, much to Alex’s relief. Anna trusted that with him being an adult, he could be trusted more, though she had her suspicions on what he might do. Actually, she envied him. What they could get away with in a dorm. It nearly made her blush to imagine what her and Pyralis would find themselves doing had they that kind of privacy, but she wanted to keep their relationship innocent for as long as possible. Or, at least until she was so incredibly sure that her “forever” would be spent with him. But wasn’t she? Shouldn’t she have been so sure after his declaration, and just the fact that such a declaration would not have come because of his being a dragon?

The past abuse she had suffered at the hands of Adrian had left her so fearful that it nearly made her hate him. And yet, Anna knew that the kind of final trust between her and her true love would come in time and that there was no need to rush herself or fool herself into believing something was right when it didn’t have to be.
“Any questions? Concerns?” she asked after a few moments of silence had passed. She hadn’t even realized how introverted she had become, even if only for a short time.

Alex fished the key out of the envelope, quickly stashing it in his pocket. “No, thank you. Is that all?” Anna nodded.

“You’re free to go and settle in. Make sure to get out there and meet people, since you won’t be dorming with anyone in the same room.” Alex stood, nodding once more in his rather humorous manner. He muttered a sincere thank-you before heading for the door. But, something made him stop in his tracks and turn once more to Anna.

“Uh... what’s the dress code? Do you allow... piercings and...” His finger waved in front of his lined eyes quickly, as if they weren’t obvious enough. It made Anna giggle just a little bit, though she still remained professional about his question.

“Piercings on the ears are fine. Anything else we won’t mind so long as it’s nothing terribly distracting or shocking. Eyeliner...” Anna placed a finger to her bottom lip in thought. “Well, I have to admit, I’ve never been asked that question by a young man before, but if we allow the young women to don their paint, then I won’t say you cannot.” Alex was very relieved to hear this, but couldn’t help but notice that Anna had enough natural beauty to keep herself free of even mascara. That itself was almost... unnatural... as was the fact that she looked to be just a little older than he. But surely she was? Of course, Alex had no idea just how many years Anna really had on him. That was her little secret. He bid her good day, thanked her for the tea, and made his way to the door.

She waved good-bye to him as he left her office. The solemn click of the door began a terrible silence thereafter, one that Anna couldn’t shake off. The lonely, empty mug in front of her only made her feel more in need of an occupation, though she didn’t have the focus to read and was tired despite her night of being carefully watched over by Pyralis. He had been so faithful to her, she thought, chasing off nightmares and keeping her warm. And what had she done for him? Cried, expressed her insecurity... and said she loved him more than anything in life.

Did that alone make up for the additional stress she felt she had caused? There was something else she had been planning on giving him... a large basket had been stowed away in her locked office for a day or so, just waiting for the right time. It was filled with wonderful baked goods that she had made herself with the help of the cooking staff, along with a small gift, since calories would only stay with him a short time and goodness knows just where they went. Anna smiled to herself. How she just wanted to make him happy.

Happy. With the weight of Verdi’s death still upon her shoulders, it was so hard to be. The mist in her eyes blurred the office, though Anna wasn’t going to allow herself to slip into another crying jag. Just a few silent tears came and went, like nothing had happened at all.

Anna looked up with a small gasp. Welcoming a student or colleague with tears in her eyes wouldn't do, not at all. Goodness knows she didn't want their first experience to be such an emotional one.
It took a few moments for Anna to fully collect herself, making sure to place a convincing smile upon her face before she rose to open the door.

Upon opening it, she looked as if nothing had happened. Anna appeared cheerful, ready to take on the day.
"Welcome!" she said, stepping aside to open the door wide to her office. He was a student, she could tell. The younger ones were always there for admittance and advice to their new environment.

"Please, take a seat. Would you like any tea or anything before we begin?" Anna walked back towards her desk, but did not plan on taking her seat until August seated himself and he was taken care of.

And with that answer, Anna seated herself across from him on the other side of her slightly cluttered desk. There were forms on one side, a stack of novels on the other. Even though she hadn't been reading all day as she was used to during times of quiet, Anna still found comfort in them just being there.

"Alright then!" she began, once more taking on her professional air. "My name is Miss Annabelle Souris, head of admissions here at the Grove. May I have your letter of acceptance, please?"
Her kind eyes looked to August patiently as she waited for him to fish out his letter.

"The school colors for Oak and Maple dorms are green and white," she replied while taking the letter gently from his grasp. She was used to seeing them come to her slightly worn, but it only showed what a journey they had been on. Anna rather liked to see them bent.

She slipped open the letter, read it's contents with a speed that came from reading so many like it before, and nodded.
"Welcome, Augustus!" Anna smiled, and reached into a side drawer where student packets were kept. Out came one just for him, which she looked inside of quickly to make sure everything was in order.

"Speaking of dorms, you will be staying in Oak, room 110. Maple is for the young women on campus." Anna handed everything over and waited for August to have a look-see himself before jumping into the rules and regulations he had to adhere to. Goodness, she thought. Everything become rather monotonous after awhile.

"Keystone dorms are for our more gifted students," she said very carefully. Anna couldn't expose just what they were for at the moment. Surely he wouldn't believe her if she came right out and said, oh, in there are a few vampires, elves, fae. Nothing out of the ordinary for her, but to him? It would be a complete contradiction of his reality.

That being thought, Anna also knew she couldn't properly explain the Ball's incident. An evil spirit murdering a student wouldn't be accepted in his mind any more than a fae would.

"Since we're speaking of dorms, you should acknowledge their rules. Oak residents may only enter the other dorms if they are invited, and they cannot stay overnight. It applies to all the dorms, really." That seemed a simple enough concept to understand, so she pressed onward through her memorized list.

"There has been an accident on campus quite recently. Because of it, I would really like to impress upon you the importance of finding a group to travel with. You will need to go to the town of Moliné to retrieve your uniforms. There's also a few restaurants, shopping places... it's really quite lovely." Anna smiled just thinking about the small town and her friends there. Again, she paused to see if August was overwhelmed with everything she was throwing at him.

Anna nodded. "I just had a student named Elliot who should be right next to your room, I believe. You could always ask him, if he's not too busy settling in."

It was good that he was willing to meet people. Anna was so afraid that she would lose more students. The incident only having occurred the night before had left her deeply rattled.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The Gatehouse on campus is strictly off-limits to all students, so please, be careful."
She reviewed everything in her mind, and found that she had told him everything he needed to know. Anna knew it was all quite vague, but once August understood just what he had fallen into, he would understand this entire exchange.
"Is there anything you'd like to go over again before you're unleashed onto the world?" she asked, with a bit of a joking tone. How she wished she could be more spirited with him, but Anna still had a cloud over her head.