-Cress-

Cress finished up her test. It hadn't been too hard; she'd probably get an okay grade. She stared out the window, daydreaming. She was very excited for archery today.

What she wasn't excited for was lab next period. Science was bor-ing. And the experiments were weird. They looked strange, and sometimes they stared at her or, even worse, made eye contact with her. She shuddered at the thought. But Lee loved lab. She said they were "making a difference." Whatever.

{Aly}

Alyria remembered that science, or lab, was next period. She didn't really think much of it---science was rather boring in comparison to combat and archery, but she still tried her best at it. And there were the experiments. Most of the time she just used them as instructed, but sometimes, she found herself feeling bad for them. But why? They were an everyday part of BIG and the science lab...it shouldn't matter to her.

She pushed her thoughts away as the tests were collected and the bell rang. She got up from her seat and made her way to science.

&Leskie&

Science was next. Today was another day with the experiments. Leskie didn't really care much about the experiments---they were simply resources for science. Although Leskie had always thought of herself as an archery kind of person, she found that she was starting to enjoy science more and more. It was interesting, especially with the variety of things they could do. There was even a chance that the students themselves could make a...discovery! Not to prove her worth to BIG or to help Catastrophe, but to maybe finally please her parents and make them proud.

Imagine that, she thought as she headed to science class.

/Rel/

Relven got through the test moderately all right, considering, until when he had almost finished he gave himself a moment to let his thoughts wander. Second period was science - experimenting on the live specimens that the academy kept. He closed his eyes, hoping that science would be better than usual. It was one of his least favorite classes, to be honest - he didn't have it often, and when he did, it was never really enjoyable. Maybe science just wasn't his thing.

Or maybe - it had something to do with the expressions of the experiments...

Well, Tyra was interesting, he thought with amusement, glad to have something else to think about. He hoped that Colin didn't take too much longer.

*Adine*

Adine skimmed through the questions; they were easier than she'd expected. Wasn't second period today going to be doing experiments? Argh. Some of the students loved it, but she disliked it completely. When she'd first arrived, a year ago, she had been shocked to hear about it. "We do experiments on live subjects????" she'd exclaimed to Ms. Damon, the first teacher she met after discovering that.

"Yes," Ms. Damon had said immovably.

"But - I know it's all for the advancement of BIG and everything, but - is it right?"

"Of course it's right, Adine," Ms. Damon had said icily. "Any more of that talk and you'll get suspended. If you're lucky."

So Adine had ignored it, and at some point she had gotten used to shutting her eyes and not paying attention to what they were doing. But she still didn't like it, whenever she really remembered that they were living things or whenever she actually had to come face to face with an experiment. She supposed that it was all right, of course, that BIG knew what it was doing, and maybe even that it was wrong to feel the way she did, but she couldn't help it.

She glanced around the room. One of the students - Lee or something? - looked excited and not at all as if she were dreading the upcoming class. In fact, hadn't Adine overheard her saying that she liked experimentation? Adine's roommate, Cress, was staring out the window; she was always bored by science, Adine knew. She looked across at Relven, who was staring into space even though he didn't seem to have finished his test. She wondered how he was feeling - and if anyone in this big classroom would ever understand how she felt, or if she should really forget all about it and be like them, uncaring...

everyone I'm so so sorry I disappeared off the face of the Kyngdom for a few days things were just hectic irl and I couldn't keep up, but I have returned and I will hopefully be able to reply on-time in the future because things are looking less stressful now

@Peri, sure, having them in different classes works fine! btw I love how they're interacting so far, they're gonna make such a cute couple :)

-Tyra-

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," Colin said, helping Tyra pick up her stuff. "Sorry again." Tyra was glad he wasn't hurt, but she didn't have time to think about anything else before, suddenly, the bell rang. One of the things Tyra liked least about the academy was the way bells were always ringing. They interrupted you just as you were getting into the flow of something. But right now, she was actually glad for something that would break up the awkwardness of the moment.

And then Colin suggested walking Tyra to class to help her out with Mr. Moore.

Whoa. Was he really willing to risk arriving late at his own class and face the forbidding Mr. Moore just on her behalf? Tyra practically glowed. It was so nice of him. He didn't even know her. A lot of boys she knew would probably just have mumbled, "Oh gosh, sorry," and bolted off to wherever they were going. Not Colin.

"I - I'd love that," she said, quite honestly. Aside from the fact that she could really use an ally, she was quite eager to spend some more time with Colin. The two of them started hurrying out of the cafeteria. "But won't it make you late for your own class?" she added worriedly. "I don't want to inconvenience you." 

-Aurora-

Aurora found herself in Ms. Damon's classroom quite soon and sat down at her desk, her bright eyes fixed on the paper that was already lying on her desk. Ms. Damon said everyone could begin right away. It was the work of a moment for Aurora to grab her pen and start writing out her answers.

Ms. Damon wasn't too tough a teacher - not like Mr. Moore, in math, who was demanding in the extreme. Aurora actually enjoyed Mr. Moore's class, which was challenging and interesting for her. She and the crusty teacher had a good relationship; though on the surface it consisted of dry remarks and testing each other's limits, they liked each other underneath.  Anyway, Ms. Damon was a good teacher too, in her way, and Aurora was a good student, and she was finished within the time limit. She put her pen down and took a few moments to rest before it was time to head to lab class.

@Poinsettia: cool! Yeah, I really like them too :D Also sorry this somewhat rushes them over whatever conversation they might've had; everyone else is moving on to lab and I didn't want us to fall behind. 

@All: Xar (used in below POV) is not a charrie of mine, just an NPC. He uses he/him pronouns and is best described as a friendly and polite but somewhat strange 15-year-old. Nobody quite knows what he's doing there, but you can feel free to use him whenever need be!

~Colin~

"I - I'd love that," Tyra said. They started out of the cafeteria. "But won't it make you late for your own class? I don't want to inconvenience you."

"I'm not concerned," Colin said simply. "I'm only really worried about you right now. Mr. Moore is much more strict than Ms. Damon. Besides, we just have a test today anyway. Ms. Damon will hardly notice I'm late." He shrugged and gave Tyra a half-smile. 

When they arrived at the math classroom, Colin walked up to Mr. Moore.

"I'm sorry Tyra's late, sir," he said. "We bumped into each other in the cafeteria, and then the bell rang." He fidgeted nervously. "Uh, you know how cafeteria traffic is," he added. Mr. Moore was a mystery, but there was nothing he hated more than the loud, busy cafeteria. Maybe this comment would give Colin some brownie points. 

Mr. Moore looked between the two of them. For a second he looked as if he wanted to explode with anger, but then Xar Grayson, who was sitting not in the front, or the back, but simply the middle, made eye contact with Colin. Xar nodded at Colin briefly before walking up to Mr. Moore. "Uh, Mr. Moore? Mr. Moore, I need help with question #27, please." 

So now Mr. Moore was balancing two interactions at once. He seemed to briefly consider what to do, then sighed, "Fine. Tyra, go sit down. Do not let his happen again." He turned to Xar, and with that, Tyra and Colin were in the clear.

Colin gave Tyra a thumbs up and a grin as she walked to her desk, then hurried out of Mr. Moore's classroom and over to Ms. Damon's. She was so immersed in her book she didn't notice him (or perhaps pretended not to -- either way, he was grateful), but a few other students did. He exchanged a glance with Relven, slid into his seat, and started his test.

The bell rang just as he was finishing his test, and he started to walk to lab, which was second period. Colin loved science, and performing experiments was fun. However, the live subjects made him a little uneasy at times. He always made sure to triple check his work before testing on the subjects to make sure it was safe for them. And he tried to give them good stuff when he was allowed, like stronger muscles or better immune systems. He'd even managed a pair of wings, once. And when he'd seen the little girl, Experiment 714, he'd sewed her a stuffed bunny and "accidentally" left it in the lab. Now she clutched it in her small hands every day. All of this eased his conscience. If he was only giving the subjects improvements, then surely it wasn't too bad, right?

Admins, I'm so sorry this is so long. Also I think he makes more sense in the RP now. still though why can't i make normal characters XD

Name: Spiderwort Crocus. He never told BIG his old name, so he even chose a new last name. Both spiderwort and crocuses are some of his favorite flowers. (He indeed likes purple.) 

Pronouns: he/him. He’s not sure it’s his favorite pronoun, but he doesn’t like change. (He was fine with his name change because he could not stand his old name and also because it made him happy to think of a plant every time his name was used, and thought of himself as Spiderwort instead of his old name for a long time regardless.) 

Age: 16???

Appearance: aughhhh i’m struggling to figure this out… i’ll post a picture once i get that done, but as far as clothing he’s always wearing stuff along with his uniform. Spiderweb-patterned tights under the shorts and a rose-patterned long-sleeved shirt with the uniform one, as well as the fake spiderwort flowers he made and sewed onto his shoes and often a lacy flower choker (though he doesn’t wear it when there’s fighting). His clothes rarely go together very well, but he doesn’t really realize that. The teachers have never told him directly that he’s not supposed to add stuff (though they’ve strongly alluded to it and it would be pretty clear to most people), so he doesn’t understand why they’re so frequently upset with him. The winter uniform is too scratchy, and he finds it incredibly boring either way, so he doesn’t wear it.

Personality: In general, he’s distanced from everything. Not necessarily in a bad way - he’s perfectly happy in his own world. He just finds little to care about outside of it. He’s pretty easygoing in the way that he rarely cares too much about things that aren’t related to plants and generally rarely grasps the gravity of a situation. However, he has a very low frustration tolerance and small things can make him very upset (or not upset him at all, depending on the thing). He’s very solitary, rarely seeing a reason to interact with others and certainly not in any meaningful way. Besides, people have only ever hurt him before. He tends to assume people aren’t going to want to hurt him. It’s not really in an anxious or tense way because he doesn’t care enough, but he doesn’t really like it. He’s either very focused on something, jumping from thought to thought, or drifting off. He’s in a strange place between assuming things will go badly and not fully understanding everything that could come from that and just not caring if something bad happens to him because he’s so used to it and rarely even catalogues those things as that bad. But he can also be pretty excitable with certain things. In a friendship, he would probably be vary between very casual and clingy and obsessed but not really trust them or think that they’d do anything for him. He’d probably enjoy having someone to talk to, and would mostly talk about plants. he's also very very jumpy around sudden movements and touch, and tends to be defensive.

Skills and abilities: Amazing with plants and gardening, and also knows what plants in the area are edible and is a pretty good healer. Basically his brain will hold info about plants and very little else. He’s pretty good at archery for some reason nobody can understand, however, and customizes his own arrows. He currently has figured out how to make arrows that will make you fall asleep, poisonous arrows, arrows that can be shot into wood and stuff and then unfurl a sheet of paper, and (his personal favorite) arrows that release a spray of flower petals when you shoot them at stuff. He’s also very good at realistic drawings, especially plant drawings. 

Likes: Spiderwort loves flowers and anything spooky. His favorite color is black, and he tends to wear mixes of all-black clothing and bright florals. (He likes spiderwebs a lot.) He doesn’t really get that to other people it tends to clash. He likes making things, even though he often struggles to actually do it because he generally has bad coordination. He has two comfort items, which are a stuffie that’s a cat holding a crocus and a smallish book detailing a lot of native wildflowers. He is usually carrying the stuffie or has it in sight, and always has the book in his bag. He also likes bugs for obvious reasons, especially spiders. He’s actually happy to be here; sure everyone hates him, but he’s generally oblivious to social drama even when it’s super obvious and there’s a whole campus of plants to care for. And besides, he’s used to people hating him. It’s much less direct than it was in his previous life, and so he doesn’t get why he’s so sad all the time. 

Dislikes: he absolutely hates whenever anyone hurts a plant for no reason (like, it makes him genuinely really sad/upset). He doesn’t like school very much and mostly daydreams or draws; a lot of the math and stuff is too hard for him anyway. He also dislikes doing stuff on the experiments. He usually makes healing salves with plants to help with any discomfort and that sort of thing. He’s not too terribly horrified, however; he figures that this is just how life is and doesn't realize it has to be that way. It’s not like anyone has ever cared about him for any reason other than getting something out of him. He’s generally a friend of the experiments though, as much as he’s ever been a friend of anyone. The best way to make him mentally decline is by making him feel helpless, because that was his whole life before he came here.

Backstory: I’m not completely certain, but I’m thinking his parents were pretty abusive. He found solace in his own world and with plants. Then BIG found him when he was 13 and he was briefly homeless after his mom died a few weeks earlier and his dad didn’t want to deal with him anymore. He grew fond of the place. 

Shipping: Open to shipping with boys and friendships, probably especially with experiments but not necessarily. I'd really like to have someone rp with him!

Other: He’s not a good student. He struggles with all of the academics and rarely turns things in on time and they’re rarely finished when he does. He’s good at archery for some reason nobody can understand and quite literally stumbles through all other physical activity. If there’s a reason he’s still here, it’s because of the things he can do with plants. He even frustrates the teachers by taking better care of the gardens than the actual gardeners do. If a hydrangea bush has tiny bite marks in the leaves, he’s the first to identify the pest and plant things that will attract beneficial insects nearby to take care of the problem. I won’t bother with other examples but since he got here, the school grounds have been transformed from wilting to full of flowers. And even if he doesn’t know something, he’ll probably be able to find it in the 20,000 books about plants that he’s begged the library to buy, and then he’ll write it in one of his gardening journals. (he doesn’t write much in them, but draws detailed plant pictures with his colored pencils.) Maybe BIG wants him here to tend the gardens in case food gets blocked off, and maybe they just tolerate him; he’s oblivious either way. Also he’s autistic and probably ADHD.

/Relven/

Colin came in eventually, and, thank goodness, Ms. Damon took the Oblivious Attitude and ignored him. Rel and Colin exchanged a look and bent over their schoolwork.

Relven was finished a bit before the bell rang, and handed in his work. It was difficult to know just how far he'd been right on the answers, but hopefully he wouldn't be getting a terrible grade. Possibly he might even get a very good one. All that studying had been useful in the end, though a playful part of him liked to cultivate the impression that he never studied at all and magically got good grades. It had started way back at the school he had gone to before he started attending the BCA. And at this point he enjoyed it.

Lab was all the way at the other end of the building, and a few of the students were tearing out the door as quickly as they could, but Rel found himself slowing down as he headed down the familiar corridors. There were always shortcuts, he didn't mind if he arrived a couple of minutes late, and he never could muster much enthusiasm for science. He arrived just before the five minutes were up, though, finding the room swarming with students and experiments. Here we go...

I think we've actually got about 14 students... does anyone want to pair up with Rel/be his experiment?

{Aly}

Aly quickly made her way to lab---although it was far from history, she could speed-walk (running of course was not allowed) there quite quickly.

She put on her safety goggles and sanitized her hands. The teacher announced to the students to find a partner to work with on an experiment. Aly spotted Kathleen, or Lee, with one of the experiments, and approached her.

"Would you like to be partners?" Aly asked, slightly nervous for some reason.

&Leskie&

Leskie walked into the lab, feeling slightly happy and excited. This was the only other class Leskie felt interested in and maybe starting to be passionate about other than archery.

She did the necessary safety procedures and decided to go up to a random experiment. She didn't know exactly who to choose as a partner, but she was sure that it would figure itself out.  

-

Anyone can be that experiment (and anyone can partner with Leskie) 

-Avi-

Avi stood slightly in front of Via in the corner of the room. Zinnie was next to him, and they watched nervously as the students trickled in, weaving around the room. Avi kept his face neutral, and just a little bit angry. Inside though, he could feel his heart beating fast. Much too fast. 

Avi was tired of all this. Tired and angry. What he had to go through, what they made little Via go through, it wasn't fair. At least he knew he could take it. He'd been doing this for as long as he could remember. The pain was merely a memory for him. But she was little.

He was broken out of his swirling angry thoughts as a student started towards them. 

{Aly}

Lee paused for a few moments, and in those few moments, Aly found herself staring at her beautiful black hair and warm brown eyes. Even though she had seen her plenty of times, Lee seemed, well, especially amazing today. There wasn't a better word Aly could think of. Aly hoped that Lee pausing wasn't a no.

"Y-yeah," Lee replied. "That'd be great!! Um, what do you want to study today?"

Aly smiled. She thought for a second that Lee was going to say no. "Awesome! I'm not entirely sure what to study...I assume some enhancements to the experiments? Extra features? You're probably better at this science stuff than I am, so...what do you think?"

&Leskie&

The experiment she approached was 423, who looked mainly humanoid with a few extra features that other students might have added previously, such as a cat tail. The experiment looked rather unhappy, though honestly, Leskoe thought that all experiments looked that way. But why? Suddenly the thought came to her head. It was just the way things are, she thought.

Leskie nervously took out her notebook and wrote down the experiment's features, feeling his gaze bore into her. She didn't remember working with the experiment before, so she didn't know his abilities that well. That meant asking. She usually didn't have to ask because she knew them already, but this time, she'd have to, which made her slightly uneasy for some reason.

"May I ask your enhanced or extra abilities?" Leskie said in what she hoped was a polite way (though why she bothered was another matter entirely).

--

I'm assuming that Avi is talking about Leskie. Hope that's okay, @Wildsong!