Emerald Shadows

With a groan, Maya stretches her arms and arches her back. "Gods, I hate packing," she says to herself, amazed at how much stuff she's managed to accumulate over the course of the year. Four piles sit on her bed: one pile of textbooks she doesn't want to keep, one pile of textbooks she does want to keep (including her elementary Japanese books and Japanese-English dictionary), one pile of clothing to pack and one pile to give away or throw away.

The door is ajar, and the sounds of Strange Boutique's "And Then She Was Healed" emanate at a slightly lower-than-usual volume from the room. Singing along to the lyrics of the song ("about a lonely werewolf," according to the lead singer of the band), Maya throws an empty Pocky box into the trash can and gets back to sorting her stuff.

Over the course of the year, Maya has let her hair grow out. The bangs of her Mohawk have been transformed into colorful, beaded braids dangling at the sides of her head, while the top of her head is shaved to dandelion-fuzz length.

"Bike broken? Noah knows how ta fix it!
Car Kaputz? Noah knows how ta fix it!
Lamp won't light? Noah knows how ta fix it!

Computer keeps crashing?

Uh... Noah doesn't know how ta fix it. Ask someone else."

Below this is Nosein's room number and phone number.

A much more formal version of the poster is printed below it in Japanese. Neither poster has any sort of school stamp of approval on it.

Before the start of the term...

((ooc I have Tepin's ok...))

http://home.comcast.net/~thelma_n_…

Tepin sits at a computer at an internet cafe reading e-mail, searching the net, she prints out one and pays any fees and heads back to the campus.

Tepin heads to the dorm and Sal's room, knocking on the door she waits.

Cleo looked from her class schedual to her school, then back to her class schedual. This shouldn't be too hard. If she could manage her Rite of Passage, she could manage going to school.

In all honesty, she was excited. This was something really new and different that she could write her little brother about. He'd just love all this.

And maybe she could get him to come next semester. Time away from the Sept would do Cyrus good. He was too isolated up there. One of these days, he might die of estrogen poisoning.

Cleo chuckled to herself and looked around, searching for something that might be considered a friendly face. It was time to get to know her schoolmates.

During the day each of the original exchange student shifters receive the follwing invitation, either in person or under their dorm door:

I humbly request that you join me at (insert a small clearing in a nearby wooded location) this evening around midnight. There is safety in numbers and we need to ensure we bind ourselves to that purpose in some form. If you know of any others that you feel should join us, please bring them.

Salvatore Ferrari

((OOC: Later, at midnight))

Sal stands in the small clearing waiting for others to arrive. He runs a speech in his mind.

Students walking around the dorms and common areas of the school begin to see posters, photocopied on a light-purple paper. The posters read:

Things are Easy
when you're Big In Japan!
(Or at least, that's what Alphaville once said)

Wanna find out whether that's true?
Let's start a band!

-----

Me: Singer, lead or rhythm guitarist, whistle/woodwind player; into goth, ethereal, punk, tribal, pagan, dark folk, and a little heavy metal.
You: Bassist, fiddler, singer, drummer, keyboard player; have the same or similar musical interests and a professional attitude.

Let's talk and jam, and see if we can put a couple of sets together!

Interested? Talk to Maya McCallahan, Room 325, or e-mail "makesheartsweep@miyagawa.edu"
(Or chat me up if you see me around. I'm the chick with the purple mohawk.)

Entering the cafeteria early, Edeyn timidly but purposefully makes her way through the door and toward any food that's NOT bread and water. **Orange juice... I really want a big bottle of orange juice**

She looks about and chooses a table to sit near where she can go back for more food. She's famished. Anyone that knows her should notice that she's lost some weight, and her hair is now quite short. She's dressed in a sweater and pants that pretty much cover everything but her face and hands

She makes her way toward the food, makes her selections, and sits. Hesitant for a moment, she then begins to eat with a gusto

((OOC: Warning in advance, folks, don't be offended OOCly by what some of her reactions will be since she's arrived back))

On the morning of January 9, everyone from the school assembles in the school gym, where a podium has been set up for the speakers. Each division has its own section; the elementary, middle and high schools seem a sea of white and blue, except for the spots of color which are the teachers' outfits.

Chairman Okami delivers a speech welcoming all the students for the new term and exhorting them to do their best in the coming months. Then he yields the floor to the head of the University division, Principal Miyama, and the principals of the middle and elementary schools in turn. Each of them gives a similar speech to the chairman's, tailored to their particular student body.

((OOC: Here is a chance for the new characters to introduce themselves to the established PCs.))

((OOC: Anyone can jump in.))

Since the meeting, Nose-in-something felt uneasy. He tried e-mailing David about it, but then thought better of it, because not-quite-a-pack business belongs in the not-quite-a-pack. But under the other paw, David might know things about Name Breakers... or he might not.

Nose-in would think about it for a bit, and prepare for the time when he would have to face the Name Breaker... So, for the past several nights, after his homework was done, Nose-in studied... well... knights. Specifically, he studied how to fight with swords of light.

Oh, he was already good with his Sword of Light, but he wanted to be better.

So, like he did for the last several nights, after his homework was finished and his studying was done; he took his flashlight, a few DVD's and his lap-top, and snuk out into a place where (he hoped) no one would find him. So far, the only things that had seen him practice were a few stray chimera (a few of which offered pointers, both verbal and physical).

In the glow of the Sword of Light, Nose-in-something touched the gem stones surrounding the magic mirror (others see buttons on his lap top) to make the images skip to the scene he wanted. He watched very carefully how Luke fought, pausing the mirror every once in a while, to try to get the stance and the movements right before moving on.

This would be a lot easier if David was here...

In the penumbra Lily sits patently, in human form, on the broad concrete railing at the stairs of one of the administrative buildings. Outside overlooking a broad courtyard she scans the horizon, taking note of the spirits traveling about and pausing every now and then to admire the colors of the sunset. She idly fingers the pendants hanging from the gold necklace at her throat and waits.