~Colin~

Colin got his breakfast -- he chose pancakes and scrambled eggs -- and sat down. Eventually, Rel, who was unsurprisingly late, arrived and slid into the sit opposite Colin. "Hey, how are things going?"

"Morning," Colin said. He shrugged. "Eggs are a little burnt today, but other than that, I have no news." He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "You study for the history test? 'Cause it's first period."

-Cress-

Cress arrived to breakfast -- not late or early, but simply on time -- got herself some pancakes, and sat down at Kathleen's table. "Morning," she mumbled to Lee. Cress was not really sure why she was friends with Lee, but she didn't mind it. Lee was sweet, if a tad naive. And scarily good with knives.

"So," Cress said. "What's new with you?"

* 

@Celine: sorry ik I said I'd wait for a response but I got excited! I hope you're alright with me bringing Lee's setting back to breakfast bc that's where everyone else is rn so it just makes more sense

@Pangolin: would you be interested in possibly shipping Cress and Elaide? You can say no, ofc; it's just an idea. I'm not always good at assessing what would be a cute ship idea and what's a bad idea, but I think they could possibly be cute together

This looks so cool. I'm totally joining!! Thank you so much for making this RP, @Peri! :)

Name: Aurora

Pronouns: She/her

Age (11-17, please): say, 16?

Appearance:  She has waist-length golden-brown hair, which she's secretly very proud of and usually wears loose. Her eyes are gray-green. She has a slightly large nose, high cheekbones, a rounded chin, and is fairly attractive.

Personality: Smart, enthusiastic, direct. She's very hard to get to know - under her bright exterior she's zany and goofy, but is uptight about showing that side of herself and will usually just retreat behind the image she's created for herself - which in an odd way does reflect her identity, just not all of it. Idk, characters are complex sometimes :D

Skills and abilities: She's a whiz at math/arithemetic, and is pretty creative; she can also run quite fast and talk a blue streak if need be

Likes/dislikes: Likes include sunny & snowy days, rainbows, waterfalls, old comedy shows, Persian rugs, and quirky items such as fancy doorknobs. Dislikes include mud, getting dirty (she's a little fastidious), being made to feel insecure or ignored, and rubber boots.

Shipping:  totally, with boys

Other: She has a brother who's gone missing and is consequently determined to find him at some point

Name: Tyra

Pronouns: she/her

Age (11-17, please): 15

Appearance:  Glossy brown hair, dark eyebrows that give her a thoughtful expression, a slender face and brown eyes

Personality: Quiet, thoughtful, prone to nostalgia. Very emotional, but in a quiet way - she tends to bottle up her feelings and needs someone to talk her through them and listen to what she has to say, so she doesn't get overwhelmed. She's loyal and generous and doesn't think much about herself. Sometimes she needs to be told to slow down and take care of herself.

Skills and abilities: She's good at poetry, writing in general, drawing, making people feel better, and can sometimes intuit what she or someone else needs to do in a perplexing situation.

Likes/dislikes: She likes cats, guinea pigs, fancy earrings, reading, writing, and crafting; she dislikes school, science, and Mean People.

Shipping: yes, with boys?

Other: she and Aurora are best friends

Name: Alexander - you can call him Alex, he will not be offended

Pronouns: he/him

Age (11-17, please): 16, nearly 17

Appearance:  Curly/bushy black hair that stands up straight no matter what he does to it, intense black eyes, tanned skin, kind of Italian-looking

Species: human

Personality: Outgoing, loud, bouncy, spontaneous, in conversation will change from one subject to the next with no warning, loyal, generous, good in a crisis, fun, can be extremely irritating but somehow you end up liking him anyway. ESTP.

Skills and abilities: Talking, arguing, athletics, getting past the rules, charming everyone around him, taking charge in a crisis and getting everyone safely out of it

Likes/dislikes: He likes music, animals, looking good, making stuff, doing athletic things like running, and hanging out with friends. He dislikes parsimonious people, being told what to do (though very few people have ever gotten away with making him do something he doesn't want to), and being bored.

Shipping:  mmm not open right now? however, he may engage in Romantic Banter a bit - he's a terrible flirt XD

Other: he's only recently become an experiment; not many of the BIG scientists have taken notice of him yet, and he's good at slipping past them and their rules to some extent. He's never managed to escape, but that doesn't mean he isn't planning to.

---

@Peri, would you like to ship Colin and Tyra? I think they'd balance each other out but still be on the same wavelength. No pressure though, I was just wondering :)

or actually, yk what, I think I'll make Alexandr a student, not an experiment - if i use him at all, I may end up focusing on Aurora and Tyra

{Aly}

Aly glanced up and saw Lauren making her way over to her table. The cafeteria was more full now, with more bustle and talking. She found that she rather enjoyed the early hours of quiet, but she was fine with the chatter and familiar bustle of the day as well.

"Hi Lauren!" she greeted. "Bit later than usual?"

&Leskie&

Leskie smiled as she dug into her pancakes. She saw Adine wave at her, and she waved back. Leskie sat at a mostly empty table, but she didn't really mind. In fact, she almost prefered it. The quiet helped her focus on her thoughts and her goals and what she wanted to do...

--- AERONA --- 

it was early. far too early to be getting up - nontheless, if she didn't, she'd get shouted at, and that was never fun. her ears still hurt from yesterday.

she winced and stretched, sitting up in her bed and tossing the covers to one side. she stood up and began to make her bed (which consisted of a slightly ratty blanket and a not-exactly-comfortable pillow) while humming.

she flared her wings out, admiring the way the sunlight hit them just right. she was still getting used to having wings - and granted, they weren't very big yet - but they were pretty. pretty enough, she thought. and quite annoying.

for some reason, the dna of the wings seemed to have gone haywire, and instead of one set of wings, she had four. two big sets and two small sets. it made sleeping on her back painful (so she'd switched to sleeping on her left side). thank god they were still, well, smaller than usual.

aerona, too, approached the window and offered a (slightly claw-ish) hand to the other experiment. a fellow winged - but the other's was black, and hers were white.

"morning. zinnia, right? nice to meet you, i'm aerona, she/her, but you can call me roro if you want. how are you?"

the window, the window, the window. aerona loved the window. she just wanted to go outside for a bit and fly - that was all. just stretching her wings. she couldn't even fly - not yet, at least - but oh, how glorious would it be? to fly! even the thought itself was a novelty. she smiled slightly, moving one hand to pass along her smooth scales gently. it calmed her - it did.

--- ALISTAIR ---

let the poor child sleep a little longer-

--- IZUMI ---

note: she'll be referred to as layla for simplicity.

there wasn't much to do in the academy. well, it was morning, so it was a tad boring - but nontheless, there was never much to do.

layla had done whatever she needed to in the morning, and she had come down to eat. people, people, people - when would she meet people? she really didn't know anyone, and it was quite awkward striking up a conversation with a stranger.

she ended up picking some pancakes (with, of course, a generous amount of maple syrup) and opted to sit down next to two ... people. one curly haired, one short haired.** they seemed to be in conversation, so she opted to not speak, and instead silently began to eat her rather sad breakfast. 

it would've been great if she could have brought her grandma's cooking - but regrettably, she couldn't, and that was definitely a downside of big.

hmm. what would she do later?  

** colin & rev - feel free to ignore layla if you want to continue w the rp, i just need someone to describe lol  

Great!

<Lauren>

"Hi Lauren!"  Aly greeted me. "Bit later than usual?" 

I rolled my eyes and took a bite. "No thanks to you. Already up and gone and didn't bother waking me!" But I smile at my friend in spite of myself. 

She laughs, and shrugs. "Not my fault you told me not to wake you up when I did."

"That's because you woke me up at 5 yesterday! I know you don't usually do that," I protested.

Aly merely smirks, and I shake my head. "Excited for another day of classes?" I ask.

@Amethyst, just making sure you see this again- do you care to ship Relven with Lauren? I don't mind if you don't think they'd be a good fit :) If you do want to, maybe it can start out as a crush and then progress...? 

@Peri and pangolin, is it ok with you if Nayr, Zinnie, and Avi are still friends? I think they make a good addition to the story.

-Avi-

Avi stirred, opening his eyes and blinking out the sleep. It was twilight, an in between time when the light was neither bright nor dark. He silently shifted his weight so he was staring out over the expanse of the room. His slightly luminous eyes surveyed the room, and caught the gaze of Zinnie. 

In a split second, they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Avi looked away and grimly smiled, thinking about what the day might hold. His cynical brain whirred as he thought about bratty, annoying, cocky students coming in to run tests and watch them like hawks watched mice. Avi's lip curled and he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes to mentally prepare himself for what the day might hold.

{Aly}

Lauren rolled her eyes and took a bite of her pancakes. "No thanks to you. Already up and gone and didn't bother waking me!" 

Alyria laughed and shrugged. "Not my fault you told me not to wake you up when I did."

"That's because you woke me up at 5 yesterday! I know you don't usually do that," Lauren protested.

Aly merely smirked, and Lauren shook her head. "Excited for another day of classes?" 

"Only archery and combat," Aly replied. "Rest is pretty boring. I mean, I don't really think science or BIG history is going to be my career in the foreseen future. What about you?" 

@Hawkstar: Hmm, I'm not 100% sure they'd go well together, but probably - maybe they can interact a bit so we can see how it would work?

/Relven/

"Morning," Colin replied. "Eggs are a little burnt today, but other than that, I have no news." He looked at Rel, smiling. "You study for the history test? 'Cause it's first period."

Relven groaned. He had, in fact, forgotten, at least since he went to bed last night. He should have listened to himself and stayed in bed. "Yeah, well, two things. First, that's news, so don't say you have none and then prove yourself wrong right away. Second, what do you think I was doing yesterday afternoon pacing up and down in our room forever and staring at a book? I've studied."

He glanced around the room, his gaze coming to rest briefly on a girl a few tables down. Lauren, wasn't she called? She was pretty (as so many of the BCA girls were), in a vibrant, unpredictable way. They'd scarcely ever talked, but she seemed nice. He shrugged internally and turned back to Colin.

*Adine*

Adine was still sitting alone, not that she really minded. Later on she'd be stuffed into a classroom with dozens of other students, and for the moment she was glad to have peace. Anyway, she had the window, and she could look out on the breathtaking landscapes that surrounded the academy. And at least it was sunny...

@Peri, sure, i'd love to ship them! i think their contrasting personalities might work quite well together :D

@WiLdSoNg, yes, that's okay with me! i think they'd all make good friends :]

@Poinsettia, do you think Elaide and Aurora could be roommates? totally cool if not :D

*Elaide*

It was the first day of the year that truly felt like spring, and as such, Elaide would not be found in any building on campus. She hardly cared that she was skipping breakfast, and that she had a history test that she should really be studying for, because for the first time in months, she finally felt free.

She'd woken early that morning, brushed her teeth, thrown on a pair of khaki shorts and a white uniform shirt, stuffed her sketchbook into her messenger bag, and ran out the door, all of this before her roommate had even woken up. Now she was wandering through the forest, the sunshine warming her face and shoulders, sketching a spray of yellow-green buds on an otherwise bare tree.

Her stomach growled, and she really began to regret having skipped breakfast. She glanced back in the direction of the Academy. Maybe if she went back right now, she could grab a piece of toast or something before the bell for first period rang. Actually, on second thought, she really didn't want to be surrounded by all the other students anymore than she had to. Most of them she couldn't stand - they were all excellent fighters from upper-class families, many of them in Catastrophe's inner circle. They were all better than her, and they knew it, and they made sure she knew it, too. Some of them made fun of her outright, like Jessamine Luker, who was always coming up with some snide comment about her origins in the southwest marshes, but others, like Revlen Sirion, just didn't understand that not everyone came from a priveleged background like they did. They could just ignore their academics and goof off with their friends, because they were guaranteed a spot at this school. They'd never had to earn it, and they didn't understand how much of a honor it was. 

Just a couple more months. A couple more months, and then she'd be out of this school forever.

We're only like a day in and I'm already loving this way more than I did the old one~

@Poinsettia, sure, I'll give that a try! Should they already be a couple at the start of the story or be crushing on each other and eventually confess?

@Pangolin, awesome! I sort of saw them as eventually becoming a couple later in the story, but they could also be dating at the start. Which do you prefer? 

@Wildsong, yep, sounds great!

@All: anyone have a charrie that wants to room with Cress? 

~Colin~

Rel groaned. "Yeah, well, two things. First, that's news, so don't say you have none and then prove yourself wrong right away. Second, what do you think I was doing yesterday afternoon pacing up and down in our room forever and staring at a book? I've studied." 

"Maybe it's news for you," Colin teased. "But Ms. Damon announced that we'd be having it, like, a week ago." He took a bite of his breakfast. "So that's what you were doing. Not that I was paying much attention. I've been trying to learn this new song for our concert at the amphitheater next month… you are planning to go, right?" Colin looked over at Rel hopefully. Rel was one of his best friends, and Colin really wanted him to come watch when he and the others performed.

Another student was sitting near them -- Layla, he was pretty sure her name was. Colin wondered if he should say hi or leave her alone. He shifted his weight uncomfortably in his seat and too another bite.

-Cress-

Lee grinned. "Donuts! Want one?"

Cress rolled her eyes. "You always get donuts." But she took one anyway, because who turns down an offer for a donut?

"How about you?" asked Lee. "Are you ready for the history test today?"

"Sure," Cress said through a mouthful of donut. "I studied. Kind of. I mean, it can't be too hard. 'BIG did this, BIG defeated that, blah, blah, blah.' Sums up the whole curriculum." She took another bite and swallowed. "Good donut."

*Zinnia*

Eventually, Avi woke up. His eyes met Zinnia's, and they could both immediately tell what the other was thinking. That's what it was like when you were friends with someone for years. Avi turned away.

Zinnia was approached by someone else, who, like them, had wings. Though this person had four, and they also had claws. They extended their hand. "Morning. Zinnia, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Aerona, she/her, but you can call me Roro if you want. How are you?" 

Zinnia smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Roro. Yep, I'm Zinnia, they/them. Ah, I'm doing okay. As well as one can be in this…" They wrinkled their nose and searched for a word. "Cage. I'm just dying to stretch my wings out and fly. I get so restless, y'know?"

/Relven/

"Maybe it's news for you," Colin replied. "But Ms. Damon announced that we'd be having it, like, a week ago. So that's what you were doing," he added. "Not that I was paying much attention. I've been trying to learn this new song for our concert at the amphitheater next month... you are planning to go, right?" He looked at Rel with an expression that was something like a baby otter coaxing its mother to come after it.

Rel smiled. "Yeah, of course I'm going." Though he grumbled about Colin's endless practicing sometimes, when they were having arguments, he actually appreciated and admired his friend's talent. There was something about the way that Colin played the violin that really was unique, and amazing. "It's in a couple weeks, right? Though we all know, of course, that it's going to rain right on the day it's planned for, because that's what weather is like. How's your practice coming along? The songs are sounding better every day, frankly."

*Adine*

Adine was dreaming. Dreaming of the smell of orange blossoms in the courtyard of her parents' house, of the singer she had fallen wildly in love with a year or two ago and whom she still half-liked, of the far-flung reaches of Kyngdom that she had never gone to. Anything, to be able to ignore the students around her. She supposed some of them were nice - it stood to reason - but all the ones she'd met weren't, or were just downright boring.

Of course, she hadn't been here all that long, and for some reason had kept herself to herself for most of the year. Eventually, maybe, she would find a really good friend...

@Amethyst, okay! I hope it does, but you should honestly make the final choice in the end. you're better at this stuff then I am XD 

<Lauren> 

"Only archery and combat," Aly replied. "Rest is pretty boring. I mean, I don't really think science or BIG history is going to be my career in the foreseen future. What about you?"

"Hey, I like history," I protested. "I just don't like writing essays or stuff for it... But yeah! Archery and combat. I might actually hit the middle on my first shot! And did you see me the other day in combat? I actually mastered that crazy kick and leap thing!"

"And tripped over air right after completing the move," Aly took a sip of her drink.

I waved my hand dismissivly. "The move was finished, that's the point! I think I was the second or third to fully master it!"

Aly smiled and allowed me some praise. "You did it wonderfully."

We eat in silence after that, and I glance over my shoulder just in time to see Relven turn his head away from my direction back to his friend. I scrunch my nose and turn back to my plate. Relven was pretty handsome and cute, in my opinion, and he seemed nice. I liked his confidence, and his polite familitary that he seemed to have. He seemed pretty talented too. One time, in archery, we had been paired up for something or another, and he had been a pleasant partner. I didn't really know him though. 

I glance up to see Aly give me a knowing look, and I slowly blink back at her. She doesn't say anything, though, because she knows how I hate teasing that is kinda unfounded. And because she's awesome like that.