Post by Alexandros Skouriá on Oct 30, 2019 3:37:12 GMT -5
The weekend was always great. It was a chance to slow down, and to relax, and to unwind, and to catch up on the goings-on of the world beyond the campus' boundaries.
For a select few at Haven, however, this weekend was a last moment of rest before being thrown into the forest for a day straight. Indeed, with a continuous stream of new arrivals and a handful who had shown a less-than-stellar performance, the time had come for another round of infamous initiation and evaluation; the young Skouriá had passed, barely, but his results reflected a lack of experience. It was an expected outcome for the boy, though, and it had been enough to deem Alex competent to undertake missions without strict faculty supervision. For him, though, unlike those others, this weekend would be nice and cruisy, with the only planned highlight being a trip out to shop for some new boots and more clothing to restock a wardrobe which had become considerably tattered or dirty (or both).
Alexandros sat at the end of the bed in his dormitory, drumming out a random beat on his thighs in a desperate attempt to find energy and wake up proper. His morning had been like so many others since starting his studies at Haven, a brief if effective affair composed of some light training to start the day on a positive note, and an equally light breakfast. Unlike others, however, he had risen from slumber much later than usual and was just a little bit 'laggier' for it in his routine; a little less awake, and a little less alert, and a little more eager to do not much of anything. Still, it was important: clothes didn't buy themselves, and there was only so much that a needle and thread could do to hold back a textile disaster. His drumming slowed to a stop, and the Skouriá boy finally picked himself up, then readied up into his usual casual outfit. No good in just sitting around doing nothing, he figured, as lovely and peaceful as it sounded there in his head.
Out the door in no great rush, Alex moved through the relative quiet of the late morning totally unimpeded. It was strange -- though not exactly unexpected -- to see the schoolgrounds in such an empty state, with only a scarce few trainees or staff making themselves known as he walked. Most people used their time off to go out into Mistral as he was planning to, while others made use of the on-site facilities, but it was still just that little bit bizarre in the boy's eyes; not that it particularly mattered, of course, as it was an entirely predictable scene playing out exactly the way one would think... most went out, a few didn't, and the few faces present backed it all up.
There was one person in particular that stood out, though. Nearing the formal entrance -- or, in his case, exit -- of Haven, an unknown individual approached with a tired trudge. Not anybody he knew, he didn't think, or at least not anybody he immediately remembered from the ever-closing distance between he and the maybe-stranger. As they came closer, some details became more immediately visible:
She was... unique, to say the least, and thus quite unlike any of the others he had seen wandering the academy grounds; she was tall -- taller than Alex, unsurprisingly, but even then it was easy to imagine her towering over plenty of others -- and rather liberally tanned, with fair hair contrasting against the dark complexion of her skin like an inversion of his own combination of black and pale. Of matching hue were two ears and a large tail which unmistakably marked her to the world as a faunus in a most obvious and apparent way. Just as keenly apparent was how, err, big the stranger was; a not insignificant level of toned muscle was plainly and perhaps even proudly on show, with much the same to be said for some very generous curves. Intuition told him that she was likely another one of the new students set for participation in the upcoming launch, but there was an air of confusion or uncertainty hanging over her as she came upon the domain of Haven Academy. The boy gave a small wave and a small smile, slowing his walk to a halt.
Yes, she was unique alright. Alexandros decided as such in his mind, darting his eyes away for just a moment to get another look at the tail trailing behind her.
Maybe impressive, I guess, he thought a moment later to correct himself.
Impressive it was then, to best describe-
Yeah, she's kind of...
The brawler snapped himself back to attention, fighting off a pulse of embarrassment working its way out of his mind. Nothing good would come from an awkward first impression, after all.
"Alexandros," he said suddenly, offering a handshake with a touch of trepidation. "Or just Alex, if you'd prefer. It's nice to meet you."
...stunning.
"You must be another newcomer! I can show you around the place," the boy continued, "if you need directions or anything like that. You've probably gotta report to one of the main buildings, or something, right?"
His little trip into the city would have to wait. Right now, it was time to play tour guide.
--
WC 896/896
For a select few at Haven, however, this weekend was a last moment of rest before being thrown into the forest for a day straight. Indeed, with a continuous stream of new arrivals and a handful who had shown a less-than-stellar performance, the time had come for another round of infamous initiation and evaluation; the young Skouriá had passed, barely, but his results reflected a lack of experience. It was an expected outcome for the boy, though, and it had been enough to deem Alex competent to undertake missions without strict faculty supervision. For him, though, unlike those others, this weekend would be nice and cruisy, with the only planned highlight being a trip out to shop for some new boots and more clothing to restock a wardrobe which had become considerably tattered or dirty (or both).
Alexandros sat at the end of the bed in his dormitory, drumming out a random beat on his thighs in a desperate attempt to find energy and wake up proper. His morning had been like so many others since starting his studies at Haven, a brief if effective affair composed of some light training to start the day on a positive note, and an equally light breakfast. Unlike others, however, he had risen from slumber much later than usual and was just a little bit 'laggier' for it in his routine; a little less awake, and a little less alert, and a little more eager to do not much of anything. Still, it was important: clothes didn't buy themselves, and there was only so much that a needle and thread could do to hold back a textile disaster. His drumming slowed to a stop, and the Skouriá boy finally picked himself up, then readied up into his usual casual outfit. No good in just sitting around doing nothing, he figured, as lovely and peaceful as it sounded there in his head.
Out the door in no great rush, Alex moved through the relative quiet of the late morning totally unimpeded. It was strange -- though not exactly unexpected -- to see the schoolgrounds in such an empty state, with only a scarce few trainees or staff making themselves known as he walked. Most people used their time off to go out into Mistral as he was planning to, while others made use of the on-site facilities, but it was still just that little bit bizarre in the boy's eyes; not that it particularly mattered, of course, as it was an entirely predictable scene playing out exactly the way one would think... most went out, a few didn't, and the few faces present backed it all up.
There was one person in particular that stood out, though. Nearing the formal entrance -- or, in his case, exit -- of Haven, an unknown individual approached with a tired trudge. Not anybody he knew, he didn't think, or at least not anybody he immediately remembered from the ever-closing distance between he and the maybe-stranger. As they came closer, some details became more immediately visible:
She was... unique, to say the least, and thus quite unlike any of the others he had seen wandering the academy grounds; she was tall -- taller than Alex, unsurprisingly, but even then it was easy to imagine her towering over plenty of others -- and rather liberally tanned, with fair hair contrasting against the dark complexion of her skin like an inversion of his own combination of black and pale. Of matching hue were two ears and a large tail which unmistakably marked her to the world as a faunus in a most obvious and apparent way. Just as keenly apparent was how, err, big the stranger was; a not insignificant level of toned muscle was plainly and perhaps even proudly on show, with much the same to be said for some very generous curves. Intuition told him that she was likely another one of the new students set for participation in the upcoming launch, but there was an air of confusion or uncertainty hanging over her as she came upon the domain of Haven Academy. The boy gave a small wave and a small smile, slowing his walk to a halt.
Yes, she was unique alright. Alexandros decided as such in his mind, darting his eyes away for just a moment to get another look at the tail trailing behind her.
Maybe impressive, I guess, he thought a moment later to correct himself.
Impressive it was then, to best describe-
Yeah, she's kind of...
The brawler snapped himself back to attention, fighting off a pulse of embarrassment working its way out of his mind. Nothing good would come from an awkward first impression, after all.
"Alexandros," he said suddenly, offering a handshake with a touch of trepidation. "Or just Alex, if you'd prefer. It's nice to meet you."
...stunning.
"You must be another newcomer! I can show you around the place," the boy continued, "if you need directions or anything like that. You've probably gotta report to one of the main buildings, or something, right?"
His little trip into the city would have to wait. Right now, it was time to play tour guide.
--
WC 896/896
