Lion's Eye Academy [IC]

[JNAProductions]

OOC Thread

---

You've just arrived, in a chartered bus, to the Lion's Eye Academy. The bus was driven by a team of fairies, and the whole thing was decked to the nines with wards and charms, making it imperceptible as anything out of the ordinary to the common folk. The bus slows to a stop, and once parked, the head of the team calls out "We're here! Get your butts off our bus!"

You pile out, and head for the base of the bus. The lower carriage opens up, letting you pick up your luggage. It's a bit chaotic, getting everything sorted, but without too much trouble you get everything you need. By the time you're done sorting it all, you see someone who looks to be faculty observing. He stands about six and a half feet tall, resting on his goatleg haunches. The satyr adjusts his glasses and says "Please make sure everything you brought is properly labeled. I can have some markers and stickers brought if you need to, but I'd like to start the tour within the next ten minutes. The staff can bring your belongings to your room, but only if it is labeled correctly! I do not want a repeat of last year."

[Alaize-chan]

The travel was awful... Well not quite but when you can fly a bus is kind of a steel cage with wheels, clever indeed but not her favorite thing.

And there she stood, a comely teen with fiery reddish orange hair and eyes, she looks mostly human but atop the sides of her head rest some fuzzy feathers and from the base of her back comes some colorful plumage in vibrant shades of red and other colors which change as if it has prismatic properties, these feathery features exposing her avian nature to most.

Finally here, at least the place look good enough commented de redhead casually to anyone who cared to listen before grabbing her bags, three of them, and all pretty big and probably heavy, she wasn't that strong however and while she could apparently lift them all, the redhead looks comically overburdened.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume didn't spend too much time amongst normal humans growing up. As a kitsune she wasn't even able to take on human form until she was 10. In her human form she looks likes like she is has Japanese ancestry, however she has jade green eyes and silvery white hair.

The international flight was her first time on an airplane and her tail kept popping out from the excitement of the experience. Luckily she was able to keep her ears from coming out as well. It has been a long trip and the jetlag is starting to wear on her.

She bows and begins to speak too softly "Eto ... Satyr-san". She realizes that she needs to speak up to be heard and almost yells "Satyr-san I need to change my labels to English." She holds up a bag with both hand, it is carefully labeled in Japanese. Then her vulpine tail pops out and she proceeds to turn bright red from embarrassment.

[Llyarden]

Leo, by contrast, had enjoyed the coach ride. He had occupied two seats in the coach, perched awkwardly on the edge of one chair - out of habit he was keeping his tail (and wings and horns) invisible so it wouldn't have been very clear to anyone watching exactly why he needed two seats...at least until he got too excited and wanted to peer out of the window instead, and then his tail kept swishing and smacking into the chairs invisibly.

Once he actually got up, he was consciously trying to keep his tail under control, although it might have come close to tripping up whoever was behind him if they got too close, and made his way out of the bus without further incident (although the stairs down out of the bus creaked quietly as he got off, if anyone was listening too closely.)

He looked around, his expression spreading into a wide grin as he saw the supernatural features of the people around him - he might have been unused to humans, but if anything he was even less familiar with the supernatural world. After a few moments he did notice the bird-like girl struggling with all her bags and wandered over to her.

"Hey, uh, d'you want a hand?" He offered a small shrug. "I don't exactly have much to carry." Sure enough, he seemed to only have a small backpack slung over his back.

[JNAProductions]

The satyr nods at Yume. "You look like you've got good handwriting," he comments as he pulls a sharpie and a small stack of plain white stickers. "Take as many as you need and no more."

After helping Yume, he's called over to some other students. A little more than ten minutes later, everyone has their stuff labeled. "Alright! Let's get going. My name is Darius Engleman. You can call me Mr. Engleman, Mr. E, Mr. Man, whatever works for you! Now," he starts to walk into the building proper, "What can anyone tell me about the history of the Lion's Eye Academy?"

Another student-a young woman who looks pretty normal-replies. "It was founded in 1845, by John the Lion. Um, it attempted to be a publicly practicing institution, but after it was burned half down in 1846, it followed the standard of keeping the academy hidden from the normal world. It's got just over seven million square feet of land, though due to some charms it's got more space. It-"

Mr. Engleman stops her, saying "Excellent answer! But I'm not sure the architectural details matter much to most of us. You've really done your research, Miss..."

"Grinter. Emily Grinter," she introduces herself.

"Well, it sure sounds like you're ready to be here. But some more modern details include that we've got a staff of over a hundred people, dedicated professors, mages, and talented individuals here to help you learn. Not even touching support staff with that figure! We're now entering the main campus," he says as you walk into a relatively modern-looking building, "which is where you'll go if you need any general assistance, or before leaving the school grounds. Right here," he walks to a small kiosk, "is where charms are handed out to keep yourselves hidden. Afternoon, James."

A tall and gangly man is behind the counter on the kiosk. He bends down to not hit his head on the sign above it, which reads Charms And Safekeeping, and waves to Darius. "Doing the tour?"

"Indeed I am! Want to explain the procedures to the new crop of students?"

James nods. "In order to keep the academy safe, you're expected to stop here whenever you want to leave the college's grounds. We've got all manner of charms and wards to stop anyone from noticing anything amiss, and will allocate what's needed to keep you and us from harm. You'll also have to sign some paperwork and all that jazz, but that's mostly a formality."

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

... James nods. "In order to keep the academy safe, you're expected to stop here whenever you want to leave the college's grounds. We've got all manner of charms and wards to stop anyone from noticing anything amiss, and will allocate what's needed to keep you and us from harm. You'll also have to sign some paperwork and all that jazz, but that's mostly a formality."

Yume looks up the definition of Jazz on her phone and wonders what the genre of music has to do with paperwork.

[Kaworu]

Mijin so far tried to keep low profile. She was well aware of how pretty she was… and also, she wanted to avoid any stares as long as she could. So she had used her Veil of Shadows spell to kinda hide herself. She made her hair shorter and less shiny, hidden her wings and horns, changed eyes from yellow to brown, and, most importantly – had made herself less busty and beautiful in general.

Now, that there was talk about charms, she thought it might be a good idea to dispell. She didn’t want to lie to people, she just wanted an uneventful journey.

She did a gesture and whispered a few words in Latin. Her whole silhouette got covered with a black shadow, which then bursted silently, revealing her true form – horns, wings, yellow yes, long, shiny, dark hair and a breasts of great size. Also, her face changed a lot.

In short, she was a very beautiful person. Some of the most pretty anyone ever saw. She could, totally and effortlessly, be a model for Vogue!

- Sorry about that – she smiled a little bit, pretending that nothing out of ordinary had happened – You know teenage boys and their thoughts and stares. I just felt… contemplative… - she explained.

[JNAProductions]

Emily blushes and looks away from Mijin. Darius and James, though, seem accustomed to the supernaturally beautiful, and don't really bat an eye. "Don't feel you need to hide yourself," Mr. Engleman says. "You're among friends here. If you have any trouble with someone getting too handsy or something like that, tell a faculty member and we'll get it sorted out. Thanks for your time, James."

"Don't mention it," James says with a casual wave of his hand. "I'll be seeing you all later, I'd imagine."

Darius continues the tour. The Lion's Eye Academy is mostly contained within buildings, though there's enough courtyards and open spaces for people who aren't the best in structures. He takes you through the main learning halls, the training buildings (for practicing magical powers that are a bit more powerful than simple enchantments and charms), the faculty buildings, and finally, the dorms. "And here is where you'll be staying-the rooms are more spacious than most colleges have, thanks to the spells woven into them, but if you find yourself too cramped or anything, let your RA know. We can get them adjusted, to a certain extent. Your bags are already on the seventh floor, which is where you'll all be."

He waits for you all to start up the stairs before turning to leave. Seven floors of stairs later, and a little searching for suite 708, you enter a common area. The common area is currently empty, save for a golden-skinned woman watching some TV. She turns to face you as she hits the remote to power the TV down, and stands up. "Welcome! I'm Jenna, and I'm the RA for suite 708. Let me see... We've got Leo-nice to meet you," she says as she moves forward to shake the dragon's hand. When you feel her hand, it's squishy, and looking closer, you can see she's not golden-skinned, she is instead some kind of golden, humanoid ooze. "Ignis-a pleasure, Yume-fantastic, Mijin-wow, you look great!, Emily-I've heard some of your projects actually got used as an example in one of our classes, a bit ago."

Emily blushes, and asks "Um... Good example?"

"Yes! It wasn't perfect, but for someone who's had minimal formal education, it was stellar!" Jenna tells her. "We're supposed to be receiving some other students down the line, but for now, welcome! There are some other suitemates, but they're in class or studying or whatever right now."

[Kaworu]

Mijin shook the hand and nodded gently, while smiling again. She shot a curious gaze at this whole Emily girl - she seemed... interesting, She made a mental note to get to know her better at some time - rather sooner than later. Then, she turned her attention towards other things.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume is amazed by the size and extent of the facilities on the campus. She cant wait to run up the walls and jump between the roofs.

---

When her name is spoken by Jenna she blushes as she still hasn't gotten used to people calling her by her given name.

She bows to Jenna "It is very nice to meet you. Eto ... What is R A?"

[JNAProductions]

"Resident Assistant," Jenna tells you. "My job is to help you all out with anything you need when it comes to the dorm. Beyond that, I've been here for three years, so if you need general advice about Lion's Eye, I'm here for that too."

[Llyarden]

"Nice to meet you too." Leo reached out and shook Jenna's hand. He had been about to ask what R.A. meant as well, but fortunately Yume had gotten there before him. Evidently living in a dorm must be very complicated if they have a person just to help with it. He waited until all the students had met Jenna before speaking up again. "I guess I should do the whole 'not pretending to be human any more' thing as well, then." He reached up and pulled a necklace that had been hidden under his shirt out, resting it in his hand and running a thumb around the edge - and the air around him shimmered like a desert mirage, revealing golden, bat-like wings, two large, spiralling horns curving back from his forehead, and a reptilian, golden tail that swished back and forth behind him without his apparent conscious control. His face, and the palms of his hands, stayed more or less the same, but it was just about possible to see where his skin started to become golden scales.

[Kaworu]

- Nice illusion - Mijin was more focused on the technicalities of the enchantment that Leo used than on him being a dragon - Did you make the pendant yourself? - she asked.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

After seeing several others in their 'normal' form Yume decides it is safe to drop out of her humanoid form as well. She slips off her shoes, first her fox ears pop out of her hair, then three tails poke out the back of her skirt, he hair shortens while fur grows all over her body, then finally her bone structure and features shift to that of an anthropomorphic fox with white fur.

[JNAProductions]

Jenna smiles. "Glad to see everyone's getting comfy. Anyone want snacks?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Right-to avoid lingering too long, I should ask if there's more we wish to accomplish in this scene. Or should we move on to after y'all have settled in?

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

"I would like a snack, thank you."

Yume studies Leo's wings, the dragons she had met back home don't have any wings.

[Llyarden]

"Uh, no," Leo admitted to Mijin, pushing a few locks of hair behind his horns in the same way a human might tuck their hair behind their ears. "This was made for me by my mother. I've learned to transmute clothes around my wings and tail, but that's about the extent of what I can do in terms of enchantments." He hadn't missed Yume looking at him, but he wasn't exactly sure why - and to be fair, he was equally curious about the other supernaturals. "And, uh, sure, I'd like a snack as well, thanks."

[JNAProductions]

"You'll have to order your own food, usually, if you don't want to use the academy's dining room," she tells you as she opens the top drawer of the fridge. "But the food here isn't half bad. Chicken nuggets sound good for a snack? I bought an air fryer recently and it's great!" Jenna takes a bag of frozen, breaded chicken nuggets and then goes tot eh air fryer in the corner. She pops open its cooking cavity, dumps in the meat, and starts it going.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume realizes that she is staring at Leo and abruptly shift's her focus to what Jenna is doing.
"What is that?"
In the temple where she grew up they don't have many modern amenities, in fact much of the place is like stepping back into the Edo period.

[JNAProductions]

"An air fryer," Jenna tells Yume. "It uses hot air to cook food, so you don't need to fry it in oil or something. It's pretty handy."

She leaves the fryer and heads back to you all. "Where you from, Yume? I mean, I know you're from the Kyoto area, but that's about it. Countryside living for you before now?"

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

"The place I am from, it would translate as Temple Hanging in Air. The entrance to the temple lands is near Kyoto, but the temple is not near Kyoto. It is in another... eto ..." She struggles to find the word for it eventually having to resort to looking up a translation on her phone. "... realm? It is hidden so people cannot find it. There are many spirits and creatures there. A few years ago the elders finally let us bring in some sun panels so we can charge electronics." Yume holds up her phone like it is a rare treasured item that only a select few are allowed to carry.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

We can continue chatting IC or move on if everybody else is ready.

[JNAProductions]

She nods. "I'm kinda familiar with that sorta thing? Definitely not your temple in particular, but the gist of it I get. Well, welcome to the modern world!" The air fryer beeps, and Jenna goes to shake the nuggets to ensure even cooking.

She continues to talk to you all as the chicken cooks, and dumps them into a bowl for everyone to enjoy when they're finished. The sunlight grows dimmer, from the windows, and she stops midsentence. "I forgot to tell you which rooms are yours! Sheesh, I'm sorry. Leo, you get your own room-your parents paid the big bucks for that. The rest of y'all have two rooms between you-technically you've already been assigned to them without regards as to who might want to be bunking with another person, but I can get the official stuff switched around, no problem. The rooms are identical, for now, so it's just whoever you want to room with."

Emily looks at Mijin for a moment, blushes, and then looks the other way. "I... Um. Mijin, if I, you know, if you don't mind, if you want to room together..."

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume takes a minute to check out her room.

[JNAProductions]

The room is decently-sized, for people of human size. There are two beds, one on each side of the room, and two dressers against the far wall in between them. The floor has a rug-plain colored-and there's a window above the dressers.

It's an entirely normal college dorm room.

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Having grown up in a traditional Japanese environment where the mattress is always laid out on the floor Yume had never seen this kind of western style bed before and found it fascinating.

[Kaworu]

- Oh yeah! - Mijin answered Emily - We can share a room! Why not? - she was kinda excited, actually. Was this a beginning of a beautiful friendship? Oh God, let it be so! Such interesting time to be alive!

[JNAProductions]

"Well, glad that's settled," Jenna says. "So, Leo, you're in room A. Yume, Ignis, you can take B-that's where Yume's looking right now. And Mijin, Emily, room C. They, uh, have official names... But they're really long, dumb, and hard to remember. So I just labeled them with letters. Go ahead, get settled in-I've got some tutoring for a freshman that I need to get to, so I'll catch you all later!"

Leo enters his room, and finds that both beds have been removed. There's a note on the dresser, in his mom's handwriting. Feel free to borrow from the hoard to make a nice pile of money to sleep in! Love, momma <3

Yume and Ignis get their stuff settled in to room B.

And Emily follows Mijin to room C. She yawns. "Long day today, huh?" she says. "I'm gonna, um, sleep now. Have a nice night, Mijin!"

---

The Next Day
Unlike mundane colleges, the Lion's Eye Academy can't really advertise their REAL classes. Well, not all of them-you will be learning math, science, English, all the regular school things. But there are various more supernatural courses to take as well.

What are you signing up for?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Feel free to make up classes you'd want to see taken, within reason of course. :P

[Kaworu]

- Goodnight, Emily – said Mijin, while getting prapared to sleep herself.

The next day, she looked at the classes offered at the Lion’s Eye Academy. Introduction to Druidic Magic looked like fun. Her magical education was exhaustive, but also slightly… crooked. Maybe this will straighten her general magical skills?

[Izzarra]

Yume Tsukiyomi Kitsune Shrine Maiden Conditions: None

Yume goes to bed early to try to recover from the log trip.
---
At the temple she never got any official schooling so she has to take several mundane remedial classes to fill in the gaps in her education. She signs up for a technology class as she has never really used computers before and a western magic class so she can learn different ways of performing magic. Then she looks at available martial arts clubs/classes.

[Llyarden]

Leo had sighed slightly when he'd seen the absence of the beds and the note on the dresser. It wasn't that he didn't like sleeping on money - like most dragons, anything with emotional value would naturally respond to his will when in close proximity to him, so his 'bed' at home had been a few hundred gold bars, his pillow a marble statue from ancient Rome, and his blanket a random mix of priceless paintings, and it had been as comfortable as the finest, fluffiest man-made bed.

But back home his bedroom had been specially reinforced so the floorboards could support the weight. He had no idea whether the same was the case here.

So instead he just poured out a few thousand Atlantean-minted gold coins from his hoard and curled up on them like they were a giant cushion. Even if it was colder here than it was back home, his natural fire kept him plenty warm, so his first night spent away from home went by quite comfortably indeed.

Nonetheless, when he woke up the next morning, he did go to find Jenna before heading to his classes. "Hey, uh...so I know my parents probably paid to have the bed taken out of my room, but is there any way I could get it back?" Partly it was just that he wanted another chance to see how ordinary humans lived...but mostly it was because picking up all those coins had been a massive pain.

Once the matter of his bed had been settled, he headed out to register for his classes. He might have had no idea how civilisation really functioned, but his theoretical knowledge was at least passable. So once he'd signed up for the mandatory classes, he instead signed up for Magic Item Analysis and Creation, and then a home economics class, since cooking was the closest thing to a hobby he had.