DORM: SAYA'S ROOM
I searched the room first. It, indeed, just seemed to be a normal, strange only in how mundane it felt. There was terrible art on the walls and a comfortable soft carpeting on the floor. The suite was surprisingly large; I found a bathroom, a closet, and a small side room. It looked for all the world like an extremely swanky hotel suite; there was even a giant TV, an ironing table in the closet, and a cute little hair dryer attached to the wall.
I paused when I looked into that side room. It only contained a table, and on the table was a beautiful, crystal chess set.
I closed the door and returned to the main room. I looked out the large window next to the bed; there was a beautiful, grassy area just outside, surrounded by gothic-looking buildings. No one was in sight, and I could not see past the other buildings, but hat architecture looked very familiar: there were pictures of it in the materials for New Hope University.
I took a deep breath. So, on the way to start at my dream college, I had been kidnapped, tricked by a talking bear, and... enrolled in my dream college.
I stepped into the bathroom and stood in front of the sink, checking if there was anything unusual. Everything looked fine. My short, red hair was a bit messy, and there were dark rings under my green eyes that I assumed were side-effects from the drug used to knock me out, but mostly I looked fine. Just normal me.
NAME: Saya Wild (Ally Nicole Rose)
TALENT: Ultimate Chess Grandmaster
::::::
Q: One more question: If your life was a story, what genre would it be?
SW: Genre? Um. Good question. Mystery, I guess.
Q: Mystery?
SW: Yeah. That might just be the genre I'd want, though. I'd like to live in a world where everything is a puzzle, you know? There's always an answer, if you're smart enough to figure it out.
I had the urge to splash cold water on my face, which is something I've seen in movies but never in real life. It actually felt really refreshing. I looked myself square in the eyes, determined and resolved, and I nodded to myself. Without giving myself any time to second-guess, I marched out to the main door, opened it, and stepped out of the suite.
DORM: UPSTAIRS HALLWAY
The hallway was large and white; there were what looked to be new carpets and a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Like in my room, there were cameras all over the ceiling.
But I didn't have time to take much in, because almost immediately, a woman in a long, flowing, red dress ran up to me, grabbed my shoulders, and stared earnestly into my face. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "Did you just wake up? Are you all right?"
She gazed at me with concern, but I couldn't bring myself to reply. This was literally the most gorgeous human being I had ever seen in my entire life. She had huge, blue, emotional eyes, long, wavy brown hair, and olive-colored, perfect skin. It was all I could do to keep from declaring my eternal love for her right at that moment. I'm joking. Not really. Kind of.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must have frightened you, running up to you like that." She pulled back and looked away bashfully. "I'm Juliet. I think I'm a new student here, but I honestly don't know what's going on. Oh!" She suddenly snapped her fingers in realization. "Maybe you can help with the other girl!" Without waiting, she grabbed my wrist and ran off down the hallway, dragging me along.
NAME: Juliet Mountebank (J Carp)
TALENT: Ultimate Girlfriend
:::::::
Q: So, if your life was a story, what genre would it be?
JM: A fairy tale. [inaudible] beautiful fairy tale. A story of true love.
We ran off, and I tried not to think too hard about the fact that I was more put off by a beautiful woman than a robotic kidnap-bear. We rounded a corner in the hallway and found, before us, a very tall, young woman, hugging herself in distress and looking around in worry.
Juliet reached her, still holding onto my wrist. "I still don't know what's going on, but I found someone else! Um..." She looked at me with expectation.
"Saya Wild," I said. The other woman was pretty, too: she had royal-blue hair pulled back into a loose ponytail; dark roots were showing in her dye-job, but it actually made her look cool. She wore oddly bright and colorful clothes: a lavender T-shirt colorful stripes, jeans with embroidered, abstract flowers. She was holding a cheap-looking notebook. She looked to be over six feet in height, but she had a slight hunch, as if she was ashamed to be so tall.
From the look on her face, she was not any more immune to Juliet's charm than I was. Blushing, she held up an index finger. She pulled a pen out of her pocket and opened up her notebook, then traced the pen over the paper for no more than one second, her fingers working with blinding speed. She tore off the paper and handed it to us.
I was so gobsmacked by the display, I almost didn't read the message; she had written it supernaturally, surreally fast. But I looked down to see what she wrote: I am Lucina Sorenson. I don't know how I got here. I cannot speak.
"Wow, that was neat!" Juliet enthused. "Were you enrolled in New Hope University, too?" Lucina nodded.
"Oh." I suddenly thought of something. "Um, were either of you scouted to join a special program? The School of Ultimates?"
"Yes!" Juliet enthused. She pointed at Lucina, who nodded.
"Me, too," I said. "I'm, um, well, when they recruited me, they called me the Ultimate Chess Grandmaster."
"Wow, that's amazing," Juliet cooed, making my face feel like it was bursting into flame. "Are you really a grandmaster?"
"Uh. Yes."
I never quite got used to this kind of attention and praise, but luckily, Lucina was writing a new note, which she showed to us: Ultimate Conductor. I guess we looked a bit blank at that, so she waved her pen around in the air like a baton.
"Oh," I said, "a musical conductor."
"Wow, you both are so brilliant and classy!" Juliet exclaimed. "I'm proud of what I was recruited for, but it's not impressive like you guys. The school said I'm the Ultimate Girlfriend."
I squinted at her in confusion. Was that the kind of thing universities typically focus on? "What does that mean?"
"I've dedicated myself completely to love," she answered, suddenly serious. "Love is all that really matters, after all, right? I'll do anything to support my sweetheart. I hadn't necessarily wanted to even go to college, but the school said it could help me learn new ways to be the best girlfriend I can be."
I glanced at Lucina. She glanced back. I don't think we found any answers in one another's expressions.
NAME: Lucina Sorenson (ThatOneFireEmblemFan)
TALENT: Ultimate Conductor
:::::::
Q: If your life was a story, what genre would it be?
Q: A note to the transcribers, I am now reading the subject's response to my question: quote, horror, unquote.
"Well, this is a relief, right?" Juliet continued, unperturbed. "Whatever's happening, it's part of the program."
"Comrades!" a voice suddenly barked from down the hallway. Juliet and I jumped (Lucina did not react at all), and we turned to see a rather large man striding toward us. He had short-cropped, dark hair, and he was wearing a black trench coat over a black military uniform, with a black officer's cap. But his eyes were brilliantly blue in contrast to all the black, and his welcoming smile looked surprisingly appropriate on the harsh features of his face. (He was also quite good-looking, I could not help but notice.)
"Greetings," he bellowed with a slight but noticeable German accent. "I am Earl Morale! I was recruited here as the Ultimate Tank Commander, and I'm happy to meet some of my fellow students!"
There was a slight pause as we took in this intimidatingly friendly man. Eventually, Lucina scribbled down a question that I'm sure was on all of our minds: Tank?
"Tanks, my mute friend!" Earl confirmed. "I have extensive, first-hand experience with the construction, maintenance, and deployment of any army's most glorious and useful weapon: the tank!"
"Oh, my!" Juliet nearly squealed. "That's so impressive!"
"I don't know about you, but we were kidnapped and brought here," I broke in. "We're not sure we're safe."
"Of course you're safe, with me around!" Earl boasted. "This is merely a unique form of education; the military is no stranger to it. In my training, I once had to survive for three weeks on a desert mesa, and all I was given were a handful of field rations and a tank! But when I returned to the base, I left many cactuses crushed in my wake, and I knew I was truly no longer a boy, but rather a man."
NAME: Earl Morale (danieltruong1917)
TALENT: Ultimate Tank Commander
:::::::
Q: If your life was a story, what genre would it be?
EM: Adventure!
Q: What kind of adventure? Swordfighting, exploring, disaster...
EM: Every kind. Every adventure.
I felt a soft pressure on my arm. I turned to see Lucina giving me a look that made it clear she was just about done with Earl Morale. She held out a sheet of paper: Explore?
I nodded to her. "Um, it's great to meet you," I said to Earl with some awkwardness, "but I want to go downstairs to figure out what's going on."
"Yes, that's a great idea!" Juliet agreed. "You two will make a great team! I want to stay here to greet anyone else that wakes up. The doors are locked."
"I will stay, too!" Earl stated. "Any late-risers will benefit from a being met by a strong leader!" He offered Juliet his arm with a surprisingly smooth grin. She hooked her elbow into his, and they strode back down the hallway.
Lucina rolled her eyes to me, and I giggled. I noticed she had a scar across her face leading to one of her (thankfully undamaged) eyes. I did my best to ignore it. "Um, so how do we get downstairs?" I asked.
Lucina pointed the other way down the hallway, and we walked, passing a few more doors to what I assumed were suites like mine. We eventually got to an alcove with large elevator doors. I pushed the button (there was only one, with an arrow pointing down), and with a pleasant ding, the elevator opened up.
Lucina, thankfully, did not seem to expect me to speak as we rode down in silence, so I did my best to organize my thoughts and my experiences so far:
Fact 1: After arriving at the airport to move in to my college dorm, I was apparently kidnapped and forcibly brought... to the college dorm I was going to move into anyway
Fact 2: Whoever is responsible for this apparently communicates through a robotic bear (is it controlled remotely or is it some sort of amazing A.I. technology?)
Fact 3: The same process apparently occurred to at least three others, all of whom were likewise enrolled in the same program I was. I would think, therefore, this is typical, but...
Fact 4: ...There was a warning written on the inside of my suite, which came too late to do any good
Students encountered so far:
-Saya Wild, Ultimate Chess Grandmaster
-King
-Me
-Kind of needs a haircut
-Not freaking out so far; good job me!
-Juliet Mountebank, Ultimate Girlfriend
-Pawn
-Super hot; really have to be careful
-No clue what an 'Ultimate Girlfriend' could possibly be
-Sweet and friendly, but maybe some regressive social views?
-Lucina Sorenson, Ultimate Conductor
-Knight
-Also very beautiful, but she has a scar so don't stare at her or she'll think you're staring at that
-Mute
-Seems kind of wounded, but also nice
-Wears bright colors, but acts shy... study in contrasts?
-Earl Morale, Ultimate Tank Commander
-Rook
-Enthusiastic and aggressive, but I think a good guy
-Likes tanks
-Does anyone even use tanks anymore?
-Flirty; easy on the eyes
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Okay, we're off and running. I ended up with too many great character submissions to use. I want to thank everyone who submitted, and if your character didn't make it in, don't assume that means I didn't like it. I just got excited about this particular combination of people.
Bullet-point listing of key characters and plot points inspired by irwegwert's story Society of Talent.