Headwing Central (IC)

[AmberCross]

"Ah, well to be honest I'm not picky. I mean several of these are reference books on magic theory, but most are books I just happen to have," Tristan admitted to his new roommate. "I like books and collecting them and my goal is to one day have enough to have my own library." He ran his hand along one of the shelves mentally reviewing the books he already had, occasionally pulling one off the shelf to look at it a moment before putting it back. "A bunch of these are from the library actually and I have to switch them out every other week or so, but I like having them here. It reminds me of home..."

He placed the book he'd been reading in the hallway on one of the shelves and pulled off a light blue tome off to look at. Memories of his childhood flashed through his mind... the way his father used to push his glasses up his nose, the smell of freshly made cookies, fire... Tristan clutched the book to his chest giving his head a small shake to clear his mind before turning around as if nothing had happened. "What about you? You're a carpenter right?"

[Eli_In_Chains]

Blaine nodded quietly as he listened to Tristan talking, making a mental note to ask Tristan another time about his home. It sounded like an interesting topic, at least to him. "Yeah, I was raised as a carpenter... up until a day or two ago, I thought my dad had been too, but, well, his being a Cubi kind of showed me otherwise. I was raised as much by the local carpenter's guild as by him, though... it's really all I know." He smiled and shrugged, glancing over at the chest he'd brought with him to SAIA. "Wood has a certain calmness to it; it may change with time, expand and shrink with the weather and heat, but it's never in too much of a rush." The fox laughed and closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "From what I can tell of Cubi, that seems to not be the way my life is headed. Guess I have to get used to that. Just something of a shock, as I'm sure you're aware, to find out that so much of what I thought was real turned out to be... well... at least it was a well-intentioned lie." He murmured, now seeming to talk more to himself than to Tristan, before getting a grasp of what he was doing and where he was.

"Sorry, this is getting rather melodramatic and angsty. Better to focus on the positives, right? I've never had much education, and now I can have all that I could ever want. Enough education to fill the time I expected to live several times over. That can't be anything but an up side, right?" He beamed over at the ferret and stood, habitually brushing off the front of his pants--he was used to their being covered in thin shavings from his planes--before stretching, his arms up and wings out as he took a deep breath. "I think it's about time for breakfast. I don't suppose you still eat by any chance, do you, Tristan? Only thing is I can't think where the cafeteria would be if the school even has one, so I would rather appreciate someone to help me find it. If it's inconvenient, though, I'm sure I could find a map somewhere..." Well, this life could definitely be worse... not what I expected, but I'm not sure it isn't what I wanted. And maybe that's the best position to be... in... I wonder if Tristan is as scrupulous about not eavesdropping on people's thoughts as I am. Not that there's anything I could do about it for now, I suppose, but... well. It's not like I have anything to hide that he won't eventually learn anyway, and if you can't control the outcome, and it doesn't make a difference one way or another... why worry? He smiled to himself, glad to have determined what he considered the logical course--to assume Tristan was listening and to not care one way or the other--and glanced over at Tristan again. "Oh, and... do I need to pay for food? Because I don't believe I brought any of my money with me, and... really I don't know if my money would even be good here. Heh... so maybe I guess I do need a bit more help than I'm letting on."

[AmberCross]

Tristan nodded in general agreement as Blaine spoke, though anyone paying attention to the emotional field would have felt the sadness, sense of loss, and a tinge of bitterness rolling off him as he mentally compared Blaine's situation to his own. Blaine felt that his life was melodramatic. Tch, his story was actually one of the nicest. It was the rare cubi who was raised knowing what they were and Blaine's situation was the most common by far. Tristan's own situation was certainly worse, even considering how well he took learning he was a cubi in stride. And Tristan didn't even try to fool himself into thinking his story was the worst. There were stories out there that positively dwarfed his own.

Still, Blaine was still young and it was hardly his fault for being so self-centric when nearly anyone under the age of thirty would be the same. It takes a while for a newly turned cubi to grasp just how little things like that mattered for people who live to be thousands of years old. In a way Tristan was almost glad his parents died when he was still a child, for how much worse would it have been to watch them grow old and die while he remained the same. Tristan clutched the book he held tighter. For all that he had had it the longest of all his books, it was the one he had never actually read. Better afterall to hold onto the memories and the hope than to dash them against the cruel rocks of reality.

Tristan tuned back in as Blaine mentioned being hungry and then had what could almost count as an epiphany in his mind. He briefly considered the comment about 'scruples' and recalled the filtering instructor's advice from so many years ago, but dismissed it once again. He was too used to watching people instead of talking to them. It was so much easier sometimes to listen to someone's thoughts than to actually talk to them after all. Still, Blaine's question deserved addressing. "Yeah, cafeteria is free. Money doesn't really mean much here after all. Follow me, I'll take you there."

[justacritic]

"Food is more or less free since the majority of cubi give it up. As for sleeping," The panda looked and saw only one bed "It will be better if you take the bed,I can make arrangements to sleep on the floor instead. " Kart looked around "Yes that would make it easier to divide the room,what are your affinities if you do not mind?"

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Horethen's heart sank down to his knees at the news from the other 'Cubi. Still, his words implied receptiveness, so turning up the "noise" of his projection, he tried once again, walking forward to clasp the other's wrist with a delicate grip. "Truly, are all here such as you? I was not permitted to bring my Speaker, and it would shame my Clan to speak with my throat the way lesser races do in anything but the direst need. Is there any way to petition the Tri-Wing to relent in such a case?"

The leopard shook his head, and walked around in a short arc to his left, still facing the fox before projecting again.  "But I am troubling you with baselessnesses. I am Horethen, of the Aldoraethar. It is an honor to meet you, Niall of the Daryil. What are your clan's deeds, and is your Founder still with you? If I have my time correct, it is many hours before my first class, and swapping tales is a pleasant way to pass the time, no?"

Horethen allowed himself a small smile, and hoped that this would actually ignite a conversation.

[Tapewolf]

"To answer your questions about my Clan..." Niall began carefully, and paused.
"Daryil's clan has a certain notoriety.  You may perhaps have heard of Johan Cross?  Or Werrew, who slew King Thias in single combat and stole his throne not a century back?  Those are deeds of our clan, for better or worse.
"Our master himself seeks to emulate Dimanika's ways and this has upset some of the more haughty clans.  To Piflak we are the 'bumpkin clan'.

"I do not know who our original Leader was, but he was assassinated during the Dragon Wars.  To keep the clan from fragmenting, we sought to choose a new chief - just a normal, bi-winged 'Cubi, not an ascended Leader."

"There was a... disagreement, and the clan branched off.  Lord Daryil led our faction," he said, glancing down at the marking on the right side of his belly.  "His aim is to ascend.  So many have tried and failed," the fox added.  "And with the Dragons still pissed at our race... I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"I really do think you should try talking though," Niall said.  "Thought-reading is considered vulgar, a breach of trust.  It's something you do to spy on someone usually and that means you don't trust them.  But there are practical problems too.
"Pretty much everyone here speaks Common, but not everyone can thought-read.  Younger students haven't necessarily got the power quite yet, and there are more than a few on staff and students who are not 'Cubi.
"Also, while people speak the Common Tongue, it's not necessarily their first language.  Sooner or later you'll run into someone who speaks Common, but thinks in Smargash or something, and then where will you be?"

[Kafzeil]

"Oh hey!" Roxanne leapt up and rushed towards her new roomy, Kallis. The Corgi's tail wag, and while the woman's height was somewhat lacking, the source of the smell was...apparent. It was hard to tell if one should be afraid of her roommate.

"I'm Roxanne Tannis, nice to meet you!" She grabbed Kaill's right hand and shock it furiously. "Oh my Gods a first year, don't worry Kallis, old ROxanne will show you the ropes on how things work here!" She winked, made a "Nck Nck" Sound and elbowed the feline.

Suddenly, the excitement disappeared as Roxanne sensed Kallis'...worrying. Roxanne giggled, blushing a bit."Oh silly me! i was so busy looking at my new toys I forgot to clean myself up!Sorry, just had a lab." The Corgi said, half laughing as she looked round."I should hop in the shower and get changed. Sometimes I forget, I mean, Fa'Lina told me herself way that guy barfed on me.Some people just can't handle a little blood, ya know?"Roxanne chuckled, stepping back.

[VAE]

As the overjoyed corgi succubus leapt forwards to accost and greet her prey, Kallis instinctively stretched and knit her wing-tentacles in front of her in a blocking attempt, still holding the halves of the now rather bloody handkerchief.
Somehow, the corgi managed to manoeuvre through.... and shake her right paw vigorously enough to almost yank it out of the socket. What was worse...
Ew...
The corgi's paw was slightly sticky, and the curious smell from before far, far more intense. Some more excited yapping an elbow strike, and more yapping later, she retreated, and left the happless feline holding her right paw  as far to the side of her body as possible, which due to the lack of shapeshifting skills wasn't quite enough. She went on to wipe the filth off with the cleaner of the handkerchief fragments, drew a small ornament with one of the wing tentacle's fingers, and the rag alongside with remaining contaminants disappeared in a puff of black, though lavender-smelling smoke.
Having calmed down,she turned  her attention to the 'cubi in front  of her, who still looked like bundle of joy someone has bled upon during transit.
"It's a honour to meet you, Roxanne of Clan Tannis... Uh, I have never heard of such a clan before.. the world is so large. I'm sure your clan.. you.. you have a laboratory?" - Kallis blurted out.

[JamesCray]

Kody sat down on the avenue strode quickly down a hallway with a carefully neutral expression on his face. The truth was, this was the fennec's THIRD attempt to find his new lodgings, having had to retrace his steps each time due to his less than stellar sense of direction. It's something of a running joke among his friends, but in this particular case, it was proving to be quite infuriating. At least, until he caught the number of the room he was looking for out of the corner of his eye, and stifled a relieved sigh. Stepping up to the door, he knocked. His roommate, Fa'lina had told him, was expecting him, and he had been given a key, but in an academy for Cubi of all clans and with their notorious impulsivity, he felt it the better part of discretion to allow his roommate to allow him entry. Putting on a friendly smile, he waited.

[LionHeart]

Mira sighed, her nerves relaxing a bit further in the face of her room-mate's reasonableness. "Thank you. That's one more thing - make that two more things - that I was worried about. Some of the things I'd heard... Well, never mind. Affinities..." She thought back over the results of her evaluation, shuddering again at the memory of Dr. Ink's methods, and took another sip of her latte to help calm herself.

"Uh... my main affinity is surprise. Surprise and confusion. Surprise, confusion, and... what was the other one? Oh, yeah, pleasure. Which kinda fits, now that I think about it - I've always liked doing things to surprise people, and being a bit off-beat."

Mira giggled. "That sounded a bit like a comedy routine, didn't it?" She stood up and struck a pose. "My chief affinity is Surprise! Surprise and Confusion!... My two chief affinities are Surprise, Confusion, and Pleasure! Wait..."

She sat down again, laughing. "Gods, that felt good." She sobered, and took another drink. "Ahem. One other thing they mentioned - my shields and filters might be a bit erratic. I might be accidentally broadcasting stuff without realising it." She paused, and looked at Kart, suddenly anxious. "Um. Have I been doing that here?" She looked dismayed by the prospect. "I hope not - I know I probably haven't exactly given a brilliant first impression, but that could be going a bit far..."

[justacritic]

Kart nodded again, cool and unflappable. "Really? I have not noticed though if you are really worried about that you could get a tutor for additional help, if your shields are weak and you are projecting your thoughts, I worry about the strength of your shielding against receiving thoughts. You do not have to worry about me peeking into your thoughts." The panda winced at his black coffee, good for keeping awake but not for conversation, and set to brewing something for keeping the throat moist.
"In the manner of your affinities I do not suppose you are aware that the majority of the dorms are usually sorted by groups of affinities? With that in mind how do you want to decorate your side of the room?" He nodded towards the large bed with its head against one wall. "It would be fair to divide the half with the bed your side and the side without the bed mine. Yet I do not wish to come back to our room and seeing clashing decor styles." 

[Meany]

"Weaklings," was Dosve's prompt reply.  "Come from class then, have you?"  Dosve's first class was not for several hours; he had arrived ahead of schedule purposefully to have time to determine the chemistry with his potential roommate, and the sentiments of the student body.  Perhaps make a short list of student organizations he would conquer when he had free time.  So far the chemistry with his room mate was not good from Dosve's understanding.

That would need fixing...but how.

[Eli_In_Chains]

Blaine nodded, holding a paw up to cover his muzzle as he yawned, the effects of such a deep sleep still in the process of wearing off. "Much appreciated, Tristan. Oh, but if you'd give me a moment, I think I'd better get out of these clothes... they're probably far too dirty to go out in public in." He walked back towards his chest, opening it up and carefully lifting out several different handplanes, setting them on their side on the floor for now--he'd find a place for them eventually, maybe a locker in the woodshop if they had any--before picking up a neatly folded red shirt and pair of jeans. ...Maybe I should ask him if changing here is alright? I mean, he may want to leave the room or something... eh. He's a Cubi. I'm sure it won't be the first time he's seen the naked form. And if he doesn't like it, he can always leave... Some of that cultural prejudice he'd picked up from growing up around Beings his entire life was clearly still present, whether or not he was aware of it. He stood and tugged his shirt off, his torso as slim and lithe as his arms would suggest, with a gleaming white patch over the middle of his chest and stomach. His clan mark, a dark blue semicircle with two short lines through it, stood out even more now against the simple coloration of his fur; wearing a shirt broke up his form and tended to mute the contrast of the blue against the yellow. Remembering he had yet to put his hair up again, he knelt down and rummaged through the chest once more, eyebrows furrowing and his head starting to dip inside as he got more and more frustrated by the search. "Hair tie... hair tie... ah, here we are." He emerged from the chest holding a hairbrush, with a hair tie stretched around his wrist, and he sat back on the floor as he started to comb his hair, make it look at least somewhat presentable. Woodworkers were allowed to be vain, too. Especially woodworkers that had just found out they were Cubi.

---

Matthias suppressed a squee of excitement, rushing to get back to his position at the book, with knife in hand, and tried to figure out how to let his roommate in without ruining the prank. He bit his lip, then, in the scariest of voices he could muster--being that he had taken a specialized class on altering his voice as well as his appearance, for acting purposes, it was very much an evil-sounding rumble--he raised his head and roared, "I have been expecting you. Enter at once." He lowered his head again, hoping the hood would hide his giddy smile as he raised the knife up into the air, poised to stab himself in the heart, and at the same time take advantage of his shapeshifting to explode a small blood squib he'd packed into his robes. His roommate would be TERRIFIED! And that pleased him to no end.

---

"Yes, well... if you can call it a class. Something of a club, really." He glanced over at Dosve. "You know, for a Cubi, you keep your emotions on a short leash. Just an observation, but... normally you would have swerved one way or another by now, several times maybe. Why haven't you?" The cheetah bit his lip, brow furrowing as he did his very best to determine whether Dosve was just emotion jamming him with... what, calmness? Was that even a thing? He hadn't ever tried it... But he was confused about why Dosve seemed so... unruffled. Very unusual for Cubi. In fact, Gideon was so confused, he was himself starting to get ruffled.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

It was annoying, not having a window. The little figurine really belonged on a sill of some sort, but the lack of open space obviated the need. He'd need to build a shelf or something for it.

"I will not sully myself with spoken conversation. It is the act of our lessers, creatures of meat and bone and lacking higher faculties of mental sharing, that communicate such. Besides, if I have a mindshield, and you have a mindshield, one can only project, not winnow through another's thoughts for secrets. And it solves the communication problem neatly. If you feel more comfortable speaking with your throat, I do not have any particular problem with it, but do not expect me to act such. I am the first representative of my Clan to this place, and I will not cast aside our honor so lightly."

Shapeshifting was obviously out of the question, and crafting magic had never been his forte. Still, if he had material, he was certain he  could come up with some sort of simple adhesive and place the figurine on a platform. He tucked the thing into his tunic's pocket, and turned back to the Fox. "I understood however, that this place was a sanctuary for our kind. I did not realize any non-cubi were residents. Would it be possible to secure accommodation for my Speaker? Truth be told, I would be greatly heartened by having the old Being along, and I am unfamiliar with dealing with the Mistress of this place; all the contact had been arranged by those higher in esteem in the Patriarch's eyes than myself."


Not particularly caring if the other spotted his consternation, he let the mindshield stay down for future conversation, letting his air of regret and long fond memories of the faithful retainer fill his mind and leak out to any who would hear them.

[LionHeart]

"I probably could do with some tutoring, just to avoid any embarrassing incidents," Mira said, giving the matter some thought as she surveyed the room and its decor, or lack thereof. "And no, I didn't know about the groupings - I was given my room assignment in a fortune cookie, of all things."

"Since, as you say, a decor both of us can live with is a good idea - what sort of style do you like? And since I've told you my affinities, mind sharing yours?"

[Tapewolf]

"Well," Niall said slowly, "It's not my place to judge or criticize your clan and their tenets, but I can't help noticing that they are... well, a little different to the average clan.  So much so that I am kind of curious how you ended up here.  It sounds like your clan is rather insular, and such clans usually use their own teachers, rather than sending their young off to Fa'Lina, whose goals may conflict with theirs."

He shrugged.  "As for your speaker, you'll have to ask Fa'Lina about that.  But... well, a lot of classes are focussed on impersonating other races and at the end of the day and unless you want to pose as someone with their tongue cut out, that is going to require verbal speech."

He gave a faint grin.  "Does your clan sing, by any chance?"

[justacritic]

"Ah yes that is a habit of the headmistress for giving information." The panda looked thoughtful "though it's usually unpleasant information..." The incubus looked back into Mira's eyes "So for my clan our affinities are for contentment, a rare thing to actually find pure, and isolation. I myself for some reason have a particular affinity for anxiety. However I rather dislike the feel of that emotion so I rather prefer a very restrained decor for our living space." The panda tapped his fingers on the table "Some rather calm colors and nothing exactly extravagant, rather flowing seamlessly. Maybe something in the style Art Nouveau?" The panda waved his hand as he described the flowing rather natural inspired decor style. 

[AmberCross]

For a second that stretched far longer than it should have, Tristan's brain froze as Blaine began changing right in front of him. Should he look away? Should he pretend he didn't care? He felt he should probably look away, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the way his roommate's muscles rolled as he removed his shirt and tossed it negligently to the side as he rummaged in his box for something to tie his hair with. As he arched back (arched for crying out loud, you can't not do this on purpose) to pull his hair back, Tristan wrestled his thoughts back into coherency mentally and aside from an eye twitch and a slight blank stare, he managed to mantain a good poker face. He took a moment to be very glad he wasn't prone to nosebleeds. He took another to be even more glad of nearly thirty years of experience holding his mindshield under stressful conditions. After all, one did not survive this long in a cubi school with such an exploitable weakness without developing at least some way to keep it a secret.

Pulling himself steady for a moment, he managed to say drily, "I'm sure the food will greatly appreciate your efforts to look nice for it." Was it just him or did that sound bad? Still, it was the best he could come up with on short notice and at this point you just had to carry through.

[Eli_In_Chains]

"Yes, well... getting my hair in my food has always been irritating enough." Blaine finished wrapping the tie around his hair, grabbing his replacement shirt and pulling it on before looking down at his pants, trying to assess whether they really needed to be changed. Granted, they were pretty dirty, but the bulk of the distress applied to his wardrobe during his "placement test" had been to his shirt. He supposed that he'd be fine for now. Besides, his modesty had gotten the better of him in the end. He stood smoothly, pushing himself up with one hand on the floor before tossing his jeans back in the chest and bending down to pick up his shirt, dropping it in as well. "But, point taken. And I wouldn't want to be ravished by any of the Cubi here; from what I understand they tend to be... impulsive. Lead on, Tristan." He gestured to the door and smiled warmly. Suppose I'll just change when we get back. When did my first class start, again...? Sometime in the afternoon? Ugh... too much of a blur to remember.

[AmberCross]

With Blaine's shirt back on, Tristan had an easier time thinking and was able to guide them just fine to the cafeteria. Though as he did he was nagged with trying to figure out whether or not he was disappointed Blaine had opted out of changing pants. However with no active prompter he was able to chase those thoughts away without too much effort. Really it was lucky this didn't happen to him with every incubus or there would have been no way to hide it. Plus as a stroke of luck, the kind of person likely to take advantage of it was also the kind of person that didn't trigger it in the first place. It took a mix of looks and personality to get through to him like that, but Blaine had just the right bits. This could possibly be a looong roommate assignment.

Arriving at the cafeteria, Tristan got a selection of food, some of which he offered to Blaine, and found a good place to sit. Checking the time, he turned to the fox and said, "My next class isn't for a few hours yet, so I have a bit more time to get you oriented with what your classes are and where to find them. Do you remember what you have or do you have it written down somewhere?"

[Meany]

For a moment, Dosve let the reversed emotion filters used to reflect his emotions back at him (a useful thing in combat against mind-readers) loose, opening gaps in their protection, to allow his emotions to broadcast normally.  "Dreadfully sorry.  I recently came from a political hotbed, I believe the proper term is, and had to put up wards against my enemies reading my emotions to gain an edge.  They should be broadcasting normally now."  The dissonance from the dog's broadcast, currently a mix of cold anger, awkwardness, and an all consuming hunger would be greatly disturbing to the lay man.  "As for your club, I'm going to be making an abundance of magical artifacts during my course work, some of which may even work.  If you or any of your club members require something to be made, I ask that you come to me first.  I promise excellent quality."

[Eli_In_Chains]

Blaine settled into a chair when the two of them arrived at the cafeteria, noticing Tristan making a beeline for the food without him. His headache, at least, was seeming to relent a little. It had picked up as they walked through the halls, stray thoughts--or, quite often, mind-shields repeating a mundane phrase loudly--sending ripples of various degrees through his psyche, but he supposed that the cafeteria was further from the epicenter of most of the activity, so the disturbances were fainter even if they were still present. The fox took a moment to himself so he could close his eyes and appreciate the relative quiet, collecting himself so he could think properly. Right... there was that poodle... Fa'Lina... she told me when and where all the classes would be... but she didn't write any of them down. And I didn't either... He reached up, covering his eyes with one hand and furrowing his brow as he tried to recall his schedule. Well, he knew the classes themselves, at least. Perhaps Tristan would be able to help with the rest. Otherwise, he might have to track down an authority figure to get help. ...come to think of it, ARE there any authority figures? The only ones you've met are Fa'Lina and that doctor... maybe you're on your own here. Just as he was running that line of thought to its end, he heard Tristan's footsteps as he came back with the food, nodding his head graciously as he took what his roommate offered him. It wasn't exactly what he was used to--his dad's cooking had never been extraordinary, its appeal lying solely in familiarity--but it did look good enough.

"Aah... funny thing about that, Tristan, I don't know when my classes start, at all. I seem to recall being scheduled for a Basic Shielding class first, though, and it was sometime in the afternoon... I'm not sure, though." He smiled sheepishly, nomming off a large section of the... fish?... sandwich Tristan had gotten him, so as to circumvent being asked a question he may potentially need to answer.

---

Gideon sat straight up as soon as he felt Dosve's emotions, even if it was just for a moment, letting a grin creep over his face. Before letting himself think too much about what the cause might have been, he rechecked and redoubled his mind shield, just in case Dosve didn't want to hear his speculation. That taken care of, the cheetah leaned forward, chin in hand thoughtfully as he narrowed his eyes, looking the Piflak cubi up and down. Emotion jamming? It's difficult to maintain, especially with something that complex... but then, he wouldn't have to maintain it, not for a short burst just to get me to back off. Now... what if it isn't jamming...? In that case I may have to be careful with this one... however you cut it, he's going to be interesting.

"Excellent quality, you say? And yet you qualify your earlier statement by implying at least some of your little projects won't even work. So which are you, an incompetent vainglory, or a hypocritical double-talker who pretends to be humble while being the cockiest one in the room?" He grinned, rustling his coal-black wings, being sure he was ready to defend himself with them if it should prove necessary. Even so, he wasn't making even a half-hearted attempt to emotion-jam his roommate, so the thrill, excitement, and curiosity flooding his system right now would probably reveal his goading for what it was: an attempt to keep pushing Dosve until he snapped. When your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. When your only "people-skill" is being an asshole, you see opportunities for that skill to shine, everywhere you go.

[AmberCross]

Tristan raised an eye incredulously. "You don't know when any of your classes are? I think I know where the shielding professor prefers to teach, but I don't know when it would be..." He poked his own food with a fork as he thought, not quite sure if he actually wanted to finish eating it. He'd been here long enough that he really didn't need to eat and sometimes food just didn't seem appetizing anymore. Still, he had been raised not to leave his food half-eaten so he put another forkful in his mouth anyway, grimacing only slightly at the taste he did not fancy just then. Chewing slowly (honestly, just about ANY food looks disgusting if you think about it too hard), he mulled over a few possibilities once again wondering whether it wouldn't be easier to get a warp-aci.

He swallowed and said, "Well the best thing I can come up with is to just go over and check. Although... knowing Fa'Lina, it's very possible she set things in motion so that whenever you happened to go to the room to check when the class is, the class would be right about then. If that thought makes you nervous and feel you might be late if you put it off, your class is probably soon and you should head over now. If you find the idea relieving, then you probably have a few hours and you should head over when you're not doing anything. I wouldn't rely on that for long though, or she WILL trip you up on purpose at some point, maybe even this time. It's hard to tell with her."

He started constructing a light map (yes, one made of light. also one that is light on details) to the room which he gave to Blaine. Most cubi didn't use these much because they were easy to make and just as easy to alter if the person using it didn't pay careful attention and by now they were practically a beacon for Dimanika jokesters, not that Blaine would know that. Tristan may not be quite the fiend some of the members were, but when you were in that clan you had to have SOME standards, even if it was just laying the groundwork for someone else to roll through. Besides, having more than one person in on a scam obfusticates some of the details and makes it harder to catch onto in time. After all, the clan's heavy hitters would never get anywhere if everyone saw them coming which is why people like Tristan existed in the clan too. Or at least that's how Tristan interpreted it. In a clan like Dimanika, things hardly ever get collaborated or planned on purpose. All too often it was just happy coincidence.

[Kafzeil]

Roxanne chuckled, going to the kitchen sink and washing her hands. "Oh sorry, Tannis is my last name silly! I'm Clan Golgotha by blood." She gingerly washed her hands and wiped the blood off.

"Oh I don't have a lab. Well, you know what a lab is right?" Roxanne cocked her head."Like where you go practice what they teach you in class."She chuckled"Oh man that lab was blast! Ever since Fa'Lina made that deal with that prison they send us all the condemned guys and we can go nuts on them! Shoulda seen today's guy! Man he started screaming and bawling about how he didn't do it and--"

Roxanne chuckled again. "Oh sorry, I can tell ya later. Mind if I hop in the shower hun?" Roxanne smiled again.

[LionHeart]

"Art Nouveau, hmm? That could work - all those nice flowing lines, and graceful curves..." Mira got up, and shuffled over to her suitcase. Opening it, she took out a measuring tape, and started to measure up the walls. Or at least, tried to - her skirt kept getting in the way.

"Look, I have to change out of this skirt - it's becoming really annoying. Are you okay if I change clothes in front of you, or would you prefer to leave the room first? I don't mind either way."

[JamesCray]

Matthias would be pleased indeed! Although the voice seems to have little to no effect, after a brief fumbling with the keys the diminutive (and adorable) vulpine stepped into the room, just in time to bear witness to the lapincubus' performance. The burst of sheer terror Matthias would receive is intense, but also short, as the poor overstimulated fennec freezes up, lets out an inarticulate squeal, and then faints dead away, landing in a poofy heap just inside the doorway.

[justacritic]

"Yes, that would be the best idea." Kart took his assignment and walked out of the room. As he closed the door behind him, he flushed and put his palm onto his face. "Truly this has every possibility of being a painful bother." There were so many things that could go wrong rooming with a female. Still it only meant that Kart needed to be more careful of his actions. The panda went back to completing his coursework distinctly remembering to always knock first before entering the room.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Turning fully to face the fox, Horethen sat against the wall, legs at a rigid ninety degree angle. It would not do to fall behind on exercises, and this was one he could do while he conversed. Already a bit of burn was entering his thighs.

"Insularity was not entirely by choice. To stay secret is to stay safe, and it was mostly other clans that were our rivals and worries. As for my purpose, it is no secret. Our clan has entered into a period of peace that is not common in our history, and over the past millenia or so, our numbers have grown there are now over a hundred of us. The Patriarch frowns upon unions too close in blood, but most of the other 'Cubi in Atharra were wiped out by the Thularian rampage. We need new blood, but we do not forget entirely the lessons of old. I am young and unaccomplished, I haven't even reached my third century, and therefore as good an emissary as any, with little critical work back home to perform. But shapeshifting and impersonation, those I have been taught.


The burn in his legs was becoming almost unbearable, so he straightened and stepped away from the position he was in before beginning in proper. It wouldn't do to destroy his clothing, and that limited his options somewhat, so he mostly changed his face; turning the jaguar's snout and fur into something porcine, older and scarred, one running through a milky left eye. The back-wings remained, and the headwings retreated into his pate, and at a last burst of inspiration he removed most of his left forearm to make enough of his self to generate an ersatz battleax "held" in his right. 

Do not think I cannot speak if needful. If it would serve the clan to have this crude image of a demon presented to the world as truth, I could and would talk without having to lower my eyes in shame. But this is an academy for our kind; everyone would know it is a falsehood, and there can be no purpose in debasing myself so. And as for your last question, no. Our music tends more towards stringed instruments and drums endlessly rolling. I have little talent for music myself however, although I do enjoy listening. What of you? You seem to have no taboo with throat-speech. Do you like to sing? If I could find a fiddle, I could accompany, although with less skill than most.

[VAE]

Released from the throes of the excited corgi succubus, Kallis tiptoed into the room, watching out for more stains of blood and worse - a fear that has fortunately not materialised. It was almost hard to keep a track of her roommate as Roxanne seemed to oscillate between various locations inside at a slightly worrying rate.
With an arcane gesture, she activated the spell on the suitcase once again, and effortlessly slid it in, while keeping up the chatter.

"Clan Golgotha... your clan must be large if you've got a family name on top of your clan's... I mean, not even that incubus from Zezzuva's clan had one, and they're like, twice our size, I think, and their leader's alive. Say, where can I-"

The sound of flowing water seemed to have startled the feline succubus as she turned towards the washing Roxanne and fall quiet for a second or two. She must have let go of her suitcase too, as it continued to slide through the room, driven by its inertia, and hit the foot of a cupboard on the opposite side with an audible thud.

"Wow..Like a mansion-" The cat seemed to regain self-control and grinned nervously.

"Oh, don't think I haven't seen indoor waterways before. When I was working as an enchanter for a woodworking company we were doing repairwork on an ornate ironwood safe of Count Afanasios Ka'erith of the Ka'erith angel family, there was a water outlet on every floor! I even got to use one of them- eh, what am I going on about... Labs.. right? Eh.. so it's more like when we had training sessions in the lyceum - I thought you were doing  something like one of those professors with their demonstrations, you know, using a dead body to do menial work, or showing the pathways of the humours.. you kinda smelled like them and the blood...  but they clamped down on such things in most places anyways these days. And .. er. . if you need to go somewhere I don't mind ... just show me where to put my stuff and which bed is mine if you will be gone for longer."

[Eli_In_Chains]

Blaine nodded, taking the light map from Tristan and thanking him as he looked it over. The route wasn't that complicated, he could probably get there within a few minutes if he needed to... and, well, best to go now and inquire about the class, in any case. Even if it weren't starting just yet, it would mean he didn't have to just guess or rely on Fa'Lina. Trusting her was one thing, of course, but trusting his memory...? Yeah, he would much rather not. "I think I'd better go check out the classroom now. I vaguely remember the time being in the afternoon, but even if I'm mistaken, showing up early and getting to speak with the professor can only be a good thing." He polished off the last of his food and stood, picking up the plate and waving to Tristan, looking for somewhere to deposit the plate... well, there were some dirty dishes over by the kitchen, it seemed. That seemed as good a place as any. Try not to make more work for other people, as he'd been taught growing up; if he didn't put his dishes back, someone else would have to.

Walking through the corridors towards the destination, Blaine found himself passing by quite a few Cubi of various clans, even spotting a couple bearing the same red clan marking as Tristan had on his hand... though that was rather to be expected, he supposed, with a whole school full of them. The concept was still foreign to him, as though he thought he might wake up any time in his woodshop... the familiar, comforting smell of sawdust, the sounds of a quiet city morning, the scratchy bedsheets that woke him up early enough to actually hear those sounds early in the morning... he missed it already, even the things he thought he would never want to put up with again. It'll probably get easier, as I get used to it... Cubi live for a couple thousand years, don't they...? It's fair to expect I'll be here between one and two hundred years... in that time I'm sure this will come to feel like home. He held a hand up to his mouth and yawned as he walked, before looking down at the map. That was strange... he could have sworn the next turn he had to make was a left. Well... the map knew best. To the right he went, certain to become hopelessly lost before long. Unbeknownst to him one of the Dimanika cubi he'd passed in the hallways had indeed messed with his map, indeed to such a degree that he found himself lost for long enough a stretch that he began to get worried about being late to his class. Tossing the map to the side, he tried to remember the original route as he had committed it to memory, and started off in that direction at a light jog...

Only to find himself on the floor before he knew it, appreciating the inexplicably fuzzy lighting in the room. This floor is not at all comfortable. ...Why am I... His vision refocused a bit, the ringing in his ears subsiding a bit as he noticed a smiling poodle standing over him. "Fa'Lina. Did you... by any chance... clothesline me, just now?" She grinned, her pointed teeth enough to set aback even the cheshire cat, and leaned over Blaine as he started to stand.

"Oh dear, I wasn't unclear when I told you "No running in the halls," was I, Blaine? I didn't think you would have forgotten so quickly." The fox brushed himself off and glared at her, making a mental note not to trust his new headmistress. Something about her expression told him that she was well aware of that little thought in his head.

"Thank you for the reminder, then. I don't suppose you'd mind giving me... a..." Fa'Lina was holding out a small, golden-tan... thing. Shaped like a bizarre bow-tie, almost. "...If I want to know what that is, I have to ask you, don't I?" The fox said dryly, plucking it out of her hand nonetheless and holding it up, peering intently at the shape and smelling it a bit, apparently much to the amusement of the other Cubi walking through the hallway. ...Walking, not running, it would seem.

"You're supposed to open it, silly. Haven't you ever seen a fortune cookie before?" Blaine narrowed his eyes and snapped it open, pulling a folded slip of paper from the inside. "Your answer should be in there. Have fun getting to your class without running!"

---

Matthias laughed loudly, rolling over on the floor when he realized he'd actually scared his roommate to the point of fainting dead away. Oh this would be fun. When he was done thumping the floor and laughing, he stood, shedding the thick black cloak and revealing his crazy-loud clothes underneath, walking over to the fennec and shaking him by the shoulder, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes with the other hand. "Hey, buddy, get up. It was just a joke, you didn't really walk in on a sacrificial ritual." The bunny grinned, showing off his razor-sharp teeth as he peered down at the fox. Poor guy was probably terrified of horror movies... Matt would have to make sure there was one playing every time his roomie got back from classes. Ooooh or he could make them just start at random times in the night! Matt rubbed his paws in glee, evil, fuzzy-bunny glee.