TWs: Anxiousness/nervousness. Stay safe :)
There Vertin stood, facing the stony entrance with a metal overhang. The sign in cursive read Arcanum Aeternum.
She tightened her grip on her suitcase, feeling jittery as she took it all in. The path that had been established months previously, the trees that were planted about, their leaves changing colors, and some falling. It was still early fall. Vertin loved the fall; it was much quieter.
She heard quiet footsteps join her. She glanced over, peering up at Madam Z.
"You didn't have to come with me." Vertin frowned.
"I know, I was just ensuring you would get here safely." She spoke, her eyes enjoying the scenery, "I hope you have a good time, Vertin."
The teen nodded, "Don't worry, Ms. Z. There's always Winter break."
Z smiled, "I'll see you then. Goodbye."
"Bye, Miss." Vertin waved, watching her leave.
Vertin turned back towards the school entrance, taking a deep breath, 'First things first... orientation.'
She took a step through the gate, feeling a wave of nervousness. Vertin seemed to realize something as she gazed at the other students hanging around the entrance.
These people were Arcanists. She wasn't like them. She didn't have any powers. She was told she was special, containing something within her, yet she had no idea what it was. Did she even belong here? Could she even fit in?
"Woof... woof!"
Vertin perked up, glancing beside her to see a black and white border collie sitting next to her.
PICKLES - Afflatus: Mineral - Damage Type: Mental - DPS; Support; Dispeller
"The puppy is concerned." A gadget connected to its goggles spoke.
"You... want to know if I'm okay?" Vertin tilted her head.
The dog seemed to nod, wagging its tail, "Woof."
"Oh, I'm alright. Thank you, though." Vertin reached out to pet the dog.
"Pickles? Where a- Ah, there you are!" A guy with long curly hair ran up to them, "We're going to be late for orientation, and you know how Melania is."
DIGGERS - Afflatus: Plant - Damage Type: Mental - Control; Shield; Debuff
"Woof! Woof..." The dog, Pickles, replied. "The puppy understands."
"Sorry about Pickles. He's remarkably intuitive." The stranger spoke, "Only arcanist dog that we know of so far. He's a special breed."
"Woof..." Pickles huffed. "The puppy feels discontent."
"Yeah, we should go before Melania freaks out on us..." The man tsked, "Come on, Pickles."
The curly-haired stranger walked away, Pickles about to follow. The border collie tilted his head at Vertin, almost knowing she was still feeling nervous.
"Woof... woof, woof!" Pickles wagged his tail. "The puppy is encouraging you."
Vertin's eyes widened, 'Huh?'
Pickles ran off, leaving the silver-eyed girl standing there. The girl hummed, clutching her suitcase in her hand.
'What a peculiar dog...' She thought, 'Anyway, Pickles is right. I need to be brave.'
Adjusting her hat atop her grey locks, Vertin walked forward, climbing the stairs and progressing through the open doorway.
She found her way to the Auditorium, finding a seat in the back to not draw so much attention to herself. She placed her case by her legs, ensuring it wouldn't fall over.
Her gaze wandered to the many students around her. There were around five hundred there, all in one place. The noise was quite loud. It made Vertin uncomfortable as she fiddled with her hands.
"Looking a little tense there..." A voice spoke beside her, making Vertin jump as her eyes glanced at the brunette foreigner.
"Oh, sorry..." Vertin uttered, about to move away when the stranger held her hand out.
"Don't be." The strong Italian-accented girl smiled, "Say, what's your name? I haven't seen you around before."
"Vertin." She relaxed back in her seat.
"The name's Schneider." She held out a hand, "From the roaring 20s era, so to speak."
"I'm from 1999." Vertin shook her hand.
"Do I have permission to ask what it's like in the future?"
"Well, I wouldn't know." Vertin shrugged, averting her eyes towards the stage, "I don't go out much."
Schneider held a look of contemplation, yet said nothing as she also looked at the stage.
Vertin noticed a couple of people hovering around the podium, messing with the equipment. Someone adjusted the microphone, testing it out a few times.
SHRRIIIIEEEEEEEEEEK
Everyone covered their ears as the microphone finally made a noise.
"There we are." The professor holding the microphone spoke.
Schneider let out a huff, "This is going to be one hell of a year."
« × »
"Roommates?" Vertin peered up at the administration that had given her a room number.
The lady hummed, "Everyone has one. It's to ensure that no one feels left out."
Vertin frowned. She was used to being alone and having her own room. She didn't expect this, of all things.
Sighing, Vertin started walking towards the dormitory buildings. Every step felt heavy, uneasy about the thought of sharing a room with another person.
She reached the dorms, heading towards the left building. She opened the door, noticing a lounge area with a few couches and beanbags as well as a television.
She hummed. The TV didn't come from this era. It was more modern.
'A few years in the future, maybe.' Vertin guessed. Peering into an archway, she noticed a kitchen with a dining room attached.
She wondered if all dormitories were like this.
Vertin looked at her room number, seeing it was on the first floor. She wandered around, searching for it.
'Is this it?' Vertin stopped a door, looking at her slip of paper to the number on it, 'It says 101...'
She opened it, her eyes widening as she saw something coming hurtling towards her face.
"Ah, watch out!" A voice shrieked.
Vertin reeled back, moving out of the way just in time to see a spiky green creature stick itself to the carpet outside the door.
"It's naptime for you, nasty cactus!" The stranger tossed a vial towards it. The vial broke on impact, causing a burst of purple dust to scatter everywhere.
The creature hissed in pain as it fainted, getting the floor dirty with its soil.
"Phew, maybe I should've had Mr. Karson check my bags for me after all." The girl with blonde curls spoke, appearing in the doorway, "Anyway, let me get this out of your way for you."
SOTHEBY - Afflatus: Plant - Damage Type: Reality - DPS; Poison; Heal
The girl in much-too-fancy attire, picked up the cactus monster by its pot, walking over to a nearby window. She opened it and tossed it out into the bushes.
She brushed her hands off, "I can deal with it later. I'm much too tired from the day."
Vertin picked up her suitcase, realizing she had dropped it during the shock, 'Hopefully, everything is still in order.'
"Hey, you!" The blonde girl blurted, "Are you my roommate!?"
Vertin winced, "Uh, yes-"
The girl clapped, "That makes Sotheby so happy! I thought I wouldn't get one, and there are three beds in our room!"
"Three...?" Vertin muttered as she walked into the dorm room.
"Mhm, three beds. I was in here for about twenty minutes waiting. I thought I would go ahead and unpack, but that thing was hiding in one of my bags, so I got distracted trying to get rid of it."
Silver eyes observed the scene of messy bedsheets and clothing strewn about.
"Don't worry, I'll clean it up lickety-split!" Sotheby beamed, beginning to pick up her scattered clothes. Then she stopped as she realized something, turning towards the other teenagers, "Oh, where are my manners, I didn't get your name!"
"Vertin."
"Very nice to meet you, Miss Vertin! My name is Sotheby." She smiled as she went back to pick up her clothes.
"Uhm... hello?" A voice spoke from the doorway, prompting the girls to turn. A ginger-haired teen was standing there awkwardly, holding some sort of stick in her hand.
SONETTO - Afflatus: Mineral - Damage Type: Reality - DPS; Control; Support
"Greetings!" Sotheby waved.
"Hello." Vertin acknowledged.
"Can I ask... what happened here?" The ginger asked, raising an eyebrow at the disarray.
The other two shared a glance.
"The cactus did it," Sotheby answered as Vertin nodded.
