Odette had finally finished unpacking her last box, something left over from Intas when she had moved in. Surprised she hadn't gotten a call from her father yet she checked the seer stone hanging from a silver chain around her neck. Warming it reassuringly with her hand she took a deep breath. This was the right choice, she thought exhaling and sending out all her negative thoughts, this was a new place, not scary, just new. She stretched and went to her closet, taking one of the crisp green uniforms off of it's silky hanger. She peeked around, as if there would be anyone else in her room, and changed quickly.

Smoothing the fabric under her open palms she smiled. Whoever had sewn this knew exactly what they were doing and she admired them for it. These uniforms were durable and quite well made, the feeling of the lovely fabric under her hands was wonderful. She sat on her bed and laced up the black boots, standing, she figured she would see who was in the rooms around her. As she headed towards the door she stopped a moment and calmed her nerves. She had been dealing with strangers new people all her life, something she never quite got used to. She knew once they were in conversation she would be like a fish in water, but until then she felt like she was flailing helplessly by bank.

Odette opened the door and carefully closed it behind her. Slowly walking towards the door diagonal from her she rapped lightly three times, still slightly unable to breathe. She put on a brave, friendly smile, adding a bit of confidence to her gaze, a trick her mother had instilled in her since she was old enough to know what being nervous was. She looked straight at eye level, waiting for the door to open.

Laur, was, of course, studying. Her biology text was before her, open to the last class' work, on the inner workings of molluscs. There was a clinical diagram of a snail on the open page, although some previous student who had had the textbook (C. L.?) had drawn a top hat, cane, monocle, bowtie, and mustache onto it, making it quite the proper Anaxi gentleman snail. In fact, she remembered the previous teacher for the class had actually looked like that, and had reportedly been very boring and slow. Hmm.
The gentleman snail made a very ungentlemanly jump off her lap and onto the floor as she heard the unexpected knocks on her door. Disgruntled at being disturbed, she walked to her door and threw it open.
"YES? Haven't I made it perfectly clear you aren't to...oh. Terribly sorry. You moved in a few months ago, correct? Excuse my tone. I thought you were the girl across the hall who is forever losing her homework and attempting to borrow mine before class."

"Oh," She said giggling lightly "Sorry to disturb you, my name is Odette." She said smiling a bit more and bowing lightly. "Very nice to make your acquaintance." She said politely. She could breathe now and was almost perfectly at ease. She quite liked making new friends, once she knew they were nice.

"Yikes, don't you hate when people do that? I've basically stopped myself up in my room for these few months, I'm not quite used to this community living thing to be honest." She said rubbing the back of her neck and smiling. She actually quite missed having her very own sewing room and space to do with what she wished, however she had gained a lot of independence in these few months, something she wouldn't have traded for the world.

"Ah, yes, you and I both. Other people aren't necessarily my...forte. They generally want my notes, my homework, or both, or they've got the wrong room. I've told them not to bother me, of course, but..." She made a gesture and expression that no one ever really listened to little old her. She had also told them nothing of the sort, but by the fact that she never invited anyone in, she had thought they would have certainly deduced she did not particularly like interruptions. This girl seemed slightly vapid, what with the giggling, but certainly nice enough.
"So what form are you in, Odette? Perhaps we share some classes as well as a general living area."

"Well," She had started into her schedule as she heard her father's voice ring through her head "ODETTE" he said sternly and quite loudly. She winced a bit and looked back to the girl. "Sorry, if I don't answer him I'll never hear the end of it." She said gently fiddling with the seer stone hanging from the long chain around her neck. A family heirloom passed down through her mothers lineage. As she walked idly to the other end of the corridor she answered

"Yes father? You don't have to be so loud you know" she said. "Who were you talking to just now?" He asked, she could here the accusation threading through his voice, like she would ever talk to anyone who looked like a trouble maker....come to think of it she might just to get back at him. "No one father, I didn't even get her name before you interrupted us." She said sighing. "I just wanted to check in on you dear. I have a meeting to go to so if you need anything call your mother." He said, Odette leaned against the wall and picked at her nails. "Don't worry dad, I'll be fine." She said with extra reassurance in her tone. "Alright honey. I'll call you later." He said, she felt his presence fade and sighed leaning her head back against the wall and shutting her eyes.

Even now, she had fled left the nest and he wouldn't leave her alone. She sighed and opened her eyes, walking back to the girl's door and apologizing profusely.

((I've pm'ed Odette about this, everything's green.))

"Oh, that's all right. Parents? Mine are far too busy to scry to me, of course. I have a stone, but it's usually in my room. You're quite lucky to have parents who care what you're doing. An only child, I expect?"
She leaned slightly on the doorway. "I'm Laureline Almond, by the way, but please call me Laur. I despise my full name. Reeks of my nanny scolding me as a child."

"Unfortunately, I always wanted a sibling." She said sighing.
"Anyhow, very nice to meet you Laur." Odette said smiling. "Would you...like to go for a walk...or something?" She asked awkwardly. "I haven't been out of my room in a while." She said smiling lightly. She looked at her boots as she waited for the girl to answer. The shiny black leather was oddly comforting, the matte black laces neatly tied in bows. She tended to stand a bit pigeon toed, a remnant of a childhood habit. She bit her lip and looked back to the girl awaiting reply.

"I technically have a brother, though my parents' wills don't say so, and yes, I'd love a walk. I've studied quite enough for biology class today." She stepped out of the doorway and into the hall.

Odette made her way down the hall to the stairs. As she carefully went down the stairs and through the downstairs hall to the door.
"Oh really? Maybe I'll meet him one day. Does he go to this school?" She asked as she stepped out into the cool loshis air. She looked up at the sky which was a light shade of pewter, looking up and to her left the sky turned to a dark deep gray. Turning to Laur she smiled a bit.
"We should probably make this a short walk." She said nodding in the direction of the storm, she would certainly not be able to sleep tonight if that's what she had to look forward to. She turned to Laur
"I'll follow you, I haven't really been out of the dorms or away from the classrooms since I got here." She said shrugging a bit.

"No, he's graduated. Two years ago. And you don't want to meet him, he's positively awful. And yes, it's looking quite ominous out here. It quite smells like it's going to rain like mad, and being the month it is I don't doubt it for a minute. Let's see if there's anyone we can meet on the way, hmm?"

In a way, this was as much of a meet-and-greet for Laur as it was for the relatively new student. Hopefully there'd be someone interesting outside the door. She took Odette past some of the older boys' dorms, since they were in the way anyway; perhaps there'd be someone coming out of one of those.

Horace's face was cold. The rainy season was really getting to him. He missed spring, to him that was the perfect season. He walked outside the dorm, hoping to get some breakfast before classes started. He started walking an unseemly pace. He wasn't even five feet from the dorm when he accidentally tripped himself. Without warning the giant twig of a student came down. It wouldn't have been so odd to scream "TIMBER" when he was falling.

Son of a clocking kenser!!!

Horace's face would have been cut up slightly if it wasn't for his quick thinking. He used his arms to cover up his face during his decent, instead of blood coming out of scrapes on his face, all he had was a scraped up coat.

He slowly stood up, dusting himself off. It was one of the long line of embarrassing moments that had happened to him in his years at Brunnhold. Without even realizing it, he had tripped in front of two older girls, one he knew.

He towered above the two girls. He bowed to show his respect. He was frustrated that had happened in front of Laureline, somebody who already thought he didn't know how to duel.

He sighed deeply. "Hello Ms. Almond. How are you?" He chuckled slightly. "Sorry about that minor trip, they seem to happen a lot." He glanced over to the other girl, a broad smile had spread across his face.

Whoa, she looks Hoxian!

"My goodness! Are you all right?" Laur didn't have an opinion on his dueling, really; not only was their duel a practice, but he was younger and inexperienced. "Good morning, Mr. Aquila. Miss Odette has expressed a desire to see the outside grounds since she has just moved in a few months ago; perhaps you could walk with us. Where are you bound?"

She watched in shock as the very tall boy fell right in front of them. He stood and brushed himself off, greeting Laur very politely. As his eyes turned to her a wide smile graced his face. "Very nice to meet you, my name is Odette Baudelaire." She said bowing respectfully. "I can mend that coat for you, if you'd like." She said smiling. She really loved mending clothing, she felt like it was a useful skill and always good practice for her stitching. She turned to Laur as she invited him to come along, it was a very nice idea. This boy seemed nice enough, although he was quite tall and a bit gawky.

'Well it's nice to meet you Ms. Baudelaire." He smiled again. "It would be an honor for you to mend my coat, my tailor in Vienda has said this is a very easy fabric to mend." He rubbed the elbows again, hoping to get as much dirt off of the coat as he could. It was a long, asparagus colored coat. It was probably one of the coats in anaxas that could go past his knees. If he didn't know any better he would have thought it was made for a Giorian.

"I am just off for a morning stroll and some breakfast. I find the cafeteria is a great place to meet new people, next to the library of course." He glanced over at Lauraline, chuckling a little. "Isn't that right, Ms. Almond?"

"Ah, yes, the library is always a beneficial place to meet quiet studious types, but what to do for people who talk? I suppose the cafeteria would indeed do well for that, Mr. Aquila. Miss Baudelaire, would you care for some breakfast as well before class?"

((sfsr dear))