Percy had cat napped the entire way so far. He had gotten on to the bus in the early morning, bleary-eyed but still charming as ever. The neko stretched out his limbs, tongue curling as he yawned, a dainty hand covering his mouth to conceal it.
Pale sage eyes drifted, slits thin like straight lines as he glanced at his bus partner — Bismae — and offered a feline smile. The naga was fast asleep. This was Percy's favourite time to spend with his friend. Yes, she was peculiar, but her energy was quiet at times like these. It could be more easily appreciated.
Percy have given the green naga the window seat so she could watch their progress back home. Percy had no desire to see it come any closer. Perhaps for now, to take his mind off things, he would mingle with some of the other students on the bus.
Cerl Temius
I know your comp is broken now, but I figured just incase <3
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:59 am
arrival
Although the conversations are surprisingly energetic for so early in the morning, eventually the comforting hum of the bus lulls many to silence or to sleep. Children's movies are played through the crystal screens overhead for those who can't get to sleep, and occasionally the bus takes a rest stop. The jump through the portal to An'Chiale was successful, and the bus treks on to the desert.
After a long time of waiting, maybe longer than any of the students have ever been sitting in a vehicle, the landscape changes and becomes more desolate. Sand stretches for miles around, but thanks to the crystal-powered air conditioning in the bus everyone stays cool. It's about 7:00pm now, so the sun is not quite set yet, but it will be nighttime soon. Water bottles are passed around, and the teacher chaperones instruct the students to get hydrated now, before they have to endure the desert dryness. Large tubs of specially medicated salves, scented like pine, are passed out to Nixies, and Naiads are informed that there will be pools of water they can rest in at the hotel. Everything has been thought out beforehand - there are to be no liabilities on this trip!
The bus pulls into civilized-looking area. The arch above the entrance road reads, "Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary Lodge." Some scraggly desert trees add green to the landscape, but beyond that, there are wooden cabins littering the area. Some local Naga and Bakeneko are bustling around, doing last minute preparations to get the lodge ready for the large group of students pulling into the lodge.
A teacher chaperone reads off room numbers and distributes keycards, instructing everyone to go to their rooms, drop off their luggage, make sure the living arrangements are satisfactory, and then have fun exploring the lodge for the rest of the evening! The rooms each have four small beds, one for each inhabitant. There is a large cafeteria cabin in the center of the lodge, which is open 24/7 for snacks. There will be full meals served at appropriate times in the cafeteria. There are large indoor swimming pools, mosaics in intricate patterns at the bottom of the pool. There is also a sauna in the hotel, complete with a steam room and a salt room, open to Juniors and older. To truly make this a wildlife sanctuary, there is a large fenced expanse in which you might sometimes see deerlike creatures, and a small reptile house in which exotic familiars are housed, open to the public for free. Some locals work at the lodge, all of whom have been background checked and pre-approved by the Academy, and students are encouraged to speak with them to learn some things about the culture here. Relax, and have fun!
You may finish up your Bus conversations, then let your character go through a short time skip where they fall asleep, etc.
When you're finished with that, please roleplay your student settling into their hotel room or exploring the lodge. Roommates are a huge possibility - you may choose your roommates, and there is no separation by age or gender. Anyone may make an individual thread to roleplay their characters here at the lodge throughout the course of the meta. Please label such threads with [L] for Lodge, and place the threads here in the meta subforum. Please note that you don't have to make a separate thread, you are welcome to continue roleplaying in this one.
Contessa smiled,"Yeah, Adults think they are all high and mitghy. At least those want to pretend they are kids." She let out a laugh before quieting her voice and looking over her shoulder. "See the blind kid with the cane... We should DEFINEITLY steal that some point this weekend." She knew it was awful and terrible but for some reason, she loved to document reactions of others as awful things happened to them. Maybe that was why she enjoyed AJ's company so much. They were always causing trouble together.
She settled into the seat next to him, pulling a book out of our bag. "Later though, something tells me there are too many people watching here." She slid the bookmark out and picked up reading where she had left off the night before. She had heard something about roommate's when they got to the hotel. She just assumed her and AJ would. Then they could torture whatever chaperone was assigned to them.
Kivras
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 3:02 pm
"I'm sorry. I was just surprised... I haven't seen one of my own before, not even while walking around campus." The rebuffed handshake made Suhail frown and made his heart sink. He thought that the Grimm would be a bit more enthusiastic to meet another one of her own. Ah, well, not everyone was a people person. At that point, the bus began to rumble. "Looks like we're leaving," he half-mumbled. He was hoping he could get a little sleep over the long trip, but he didn't think his odds were very good. At least there would be rest stops where he could eat.
"Oh... I'm sorry." Anu bit her lip, keeping her head down. "I... might've seen one or two others, but it's hard to tell with how many fluffmonsters there are out there." She replied, weakly in jest as an excuse to her lack of observational skills. "I mostly kept to myself, so I didn't really pay much attention." Rubbing her eyes with the back of one hand, she fought off drowsiness and glanced over to see a freshling with Grimm blood in them plop down next to a somewhat disgruntled Bakeneko.
Seeing where their Grimm's gaze went, Saiya lifted their head to stare at the freshling and junior in question before laying down for a nice long nap. Nothing to get their fur in a twist over, and they were sure the Other Grimm wouldn't try anything with Anu while they slept...
About to intervene should things have gone south, Anu leaned back in her seat with a sigh. At least that part's over... She thought, her eyes getting heavy and closing on their own. Falling asleep without meaning to, her body slid over until it ended up with her head propped against Su's shoulder.
Random Nobody 13
Too presh! Anu's fingers are clumsy but she knows a little sign. If only she wasn't squished on the inside seat with a familiar in her lap. |D
Sami-Fire
Cue cutely awkward moment! 8D -coughs- a.k.a. Saiya let their guard down lol.
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 5:55 pm
Niamh nodded, and let the conversation lull. This was more interaction than she'd had in ... months. It felt nice. Almost like the attack hadn't happened. The trip drew on, and she leaned her head against the window, resting quietly. She was good at that now.
Eventually they made it through the portal, and then the sun started to dip. She accepted a water bottle from a chaperone and sipped at it, looking out the window at the endless desert.
"It's pretty in an empty way. I think." Eventually they passed under an arch, apparently at their destination. "Oooh, I think we're arrived." She was a little cramped from the long trip, but the concept of getting to have some fun buoyed her spirits. "It looks ... nice."
She grinned at Aedus, and popped up to her feet. She waited for him to be up before starting to make her way towards the door, and their chance to explore.
midnightglow18
Ellanoire
Sugary Nymph
Offline
Ellanoire
Sugary Nymph
Offline
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 6:01 pm
"Oh, so well! Thank you so much again! I've called her Peony." The Dryad beamed while talking about her familiars. She did take quite a bit of pride in them. The small talk was nice and comfortable, like slipping into a friendship again.
The bus drove onwards, and Nadi dipped into a light snooze until the portal. "Hey, desert! I think we're getting closer." Chaperones coming around and handing out supplies confirmed it. And the sheer heat from the glass. Then they pulled in to the Sanctuary.
"Looks pretty ritzy compared to last time." Nadinia smile. This was more her style. ... And appeared much less dangerous. As everyone was slowly herded off the bus and given directions, she turned to her seat mate, "Want to room with me?"
lural
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 6:06 pm
"Oh man, that's awesome! I'm still just in community college. I'd love to work at the academy, that'd be so cool." It also seemed like the most sought after employer in Below, as far as caretaking went. Praline made a mental note to increase their efforts. It would be embarrassing if their first choice wasn't interested in them.
Eventually able to sit down, once the bus lurched into motion, Praline still spent a good deal of time checking on their presumed charges. "I'm glad no one's gotten up to any serious shenanigans yet ... " But it was an overnight trip. They were sure to come. Especially with this mix of ages.
"Wonder what they're gonna do about room assignments. I hope we get good rooms!" Praline had done some reading, and it seemed like this was a pretty swanky place. Totally up the Naga's alley.
Hours of travel dragged on before the portal. As soon as they were through, the windows felt warmer, and a smile crept across Praline's face. "Ah, home sweet home! You ever been here before?"
Suhail had simply nodded in response to Anukhet's reply. The excuse felt a bit lame, but he wasn't really going to hold it against her. He sighed and stared off, noticing what looked like a Freshling Grimm a short distance away. Where were all these others when I was young? he wondered before drifting away into abstract, spaced-out thoughts. He felt a little pressure on his shoulder, and once he saw what it was, his heart skipped a beat and his face warmed. The Grimm girl had fallen asleep on his shoulder. For the rest of the trip (rest stops aside), he would try to remain very still to avoid disturbing her.
* * *
Once at the lodge, Suhail lugged his suitcase to his room and began unpacking, putting things into drawers and all that. He found himself wondering about Anukhet. She seemed rather withdrawn; perhaps she had been able to snag a room for herself so she (and her stodgy familiar) could have some space. He made a mental note to try and look for her again over the course of the trip.
Eternal Xantara
Aaaaand now we can move on. XD
Random Nobody 13
You've been noticed~
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 7:03 pm
Kayla hadn't spoken the whole bus right. She had been lessoning to all the others up until she put her headphones in and pretended to be sleeping. As far as she could tell, there was no other goblins around to so she wouldn't be able to truly open up to anyone. It was sad but that was the safes thing for her.
Getting off the bus, grabbed her luggage, and headed for the hotel lodge. "Well teddy lets go find our room." Kayla Sue had no familiars yet so she brought her teddy that her Nana had made her. She had her teddy deep in her bag though because she didn't want anyone to think she was a infant.
Taking a deep breath Kayla Sue enters the lodge and hopes she has lots of fun during this trip.
OneWintersNite
Kindly Kitten
Offline
Micillia
Dapper Duck
Offline
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 9:52 pm
Frit grinned at the friendly fey. It was nice to actually have her social interactions go smoothly. While the battle hype phase was still not over, it sure had seemed that everyone a nightmare met eyes with was itching to battle. She could barely walk to class without a hallway heydown! The buss was small tho, maybe that was it. Either way, the imp appreciated the lack of aggression. "Hello! Im Frit. Thanks! Thats very sweet." Frit arranged her jacket, making sure everything was in place before continuing. "Snacks, what a good idea." the girl said as she took one of the offered morels, "Should have thought of that too!"
Frit shrugged, grinning at the other girl. "Why did you decide to go on this trek to the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary Lodge?" The imp asked, making conversation.
Tiny Chibis
Hello! Pleasure to meet you!
Posted: Thu Jun 08, 2017 10:25 pm
They seemed so nervous to be speaking. Hopefully poor Cyril would be okay on this trip. She simply had a problem with controlling her hyper nature at time. Cyril looked about ready to go full on panic. In an attempt to help him out, she remained calm herself and decided to show her interest in his love of history and the book he had brought ", I haven't seen that book before. I checked one out from the library because I wanted to know more about the ruins and the Swirling Sands, but I didn't see the one you have," she reached into her own bag and offered her book to him, willing to trade knowledge ", How about we switch books for the ride? If we find something interesting we can bring it to the attention of the other. Reading is quite fun, especially when you are able to talk with someone else about it." Hopefully he would be alright. She just simply wanted him to not be scared of her.
Items brought in Bag: music player, earbuds, book on Swirling Sands, fidget sphere, dried fruit snacks, notebook, writing utensils, camera, magically powered fan, warm and cold weather change of clothes
"I'm very glad! I am happy to know that you're getting along with her, and that she's doing well with you." She really loved specterfox, so sharing them with her friends brought her great joy. Talking about familiars for a while was a great way to pass the time, and Nashira really enjoyed it. But as the morning drew on, Nashira started to doze with Nadinia, content to be near someone familiar. When they reached the portal, Nadinia's exclamation woke her up, and she was glad she didn't miss it. She'd never gone through a portal of this distance before. And yet... It wasn't really any different from the portals in town. Maybe a small part of her knew that, but still.
As they drove through the desert, Nashira was fascinated with the landscape. She'd only seen the desert in pictures, so this was... something else! "Wow." She really was impressed with the sanctuary lodge. But her heart was racing for a different reason. They were here. This was the familiar sanctuary. "I can't wait to explore..." She said softly.
As rooms were starting to be assigned, Nashira looked at Nadinia, but before she could say anything, Nadi asked the very thing she was about to. "Of course I would like to room with you. I was about to ask the same thing." She climbed out of the seat and off the bus with everyone else. Careful not to trample a freshling or one of the tinier teachers. "I wonder who our roommates will be."
Ellanoire
Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2017 12:40 am
As the bus jolted over a bit of uneven road, Bismae hissed herself awake. At first she braced a hand against the window, the landscape outside an unfamiliar waste. It was not the vibrant biome around the academy, but nor was it the dry environs of her childhood.
She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and licked her tongue around her dry mouth. She was used to having a kettle on for some of the tea she always had ready for Percy. There was no kettle here. She sighed and fished around under the seat for the thermos she'd tucked in her bag. Fishing it out she uncapped the lid carefully, suspicious that the bus would jolt the still scalding liquid all over her when she least expected it.
Gingerly, she reached it over the armrest towards her seat-mate. "Perccy?" I've got tea..." He was looking off down the row, and Bismae held herself in position, waiting patiently for his wandering attention to return.
Just as Arthur began introducing himself to the naga, Iron instantly tensed up, an realized his own lack of manners. Oh goodness his mothers would have really given him a scolding if they'd seen! Quickly trying to remedy his shortcomings, he too extended a hand to the naga as well, "Forgive my rudeness, my name is Iron." maybe he'd gotten a little too distracted thinking about Ama...
Throughout the rest of the trip, Iron kept mostly to just chiming in with the pair as conversations came and went. But noting that there were many starting to drift off, he quieted himself and mostly fussed around on his phone when interaction was paused. He'd brought his laptop, so he'd be able to check up on what he'd missed from his internet friends. Hopefully there was reception in the Swirling Sands... they were rather behind when it came to technology.
When they eventually arrived at their destination, he was attentively looking out the windows. All the bakaneko walking around... would he see some related to Ama...? The sudden thought of running into his crushes family made his throat go a little dry. What kind of impression would he make... what would they think of him...? Did... they know about him...? Instructions were given, and he just barely managed to pull from his thoughts to catch them in time. Rooms... right. Looking to Arthur and Thomas, he offered a polite smile to both, "If you two do not already have current roommates decided upon, perhaps we could all room together?" it would probably be easier to ask them, instead of roam around and hope to find some other trio that had room. Plus, they seemed like pleasing company to have.
Frit grinned at the friendly fey. It was nice to actually have her social interactions go smoothly. While the battle hype phase was still not over, it sure had seemed that everyone a nightmare met eyes with was itching to battle. She could barely walk to class without a hallway heydown! The buss was small tho, maybe that was it. Either way, the imp appreciated the lack of aggression. 
