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Post by Veronique Poulain on Apr 5, 2009 23:41:00 GMT -5
This is a typical dorm, with light gray walls, one window, two beds, two desks, one television, and a bathroom adjoining to Dorm 201. However, since dorm 201 is currently empty, the bathroom is, essentially, just theirs.
Originally this room was meant for Alex and Lhachlhass, but through a strange serious of events in Dorm 201, Hitoshi is temporarily rooming with Alex.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 0:00:38 GMT -5
Hitoshi carefully began sorting through his things and placing them in their appropriate places, not failing to notice that Lhachlhass' things had somehow magically disappeared in a very brief amount of time. He wasn't sure if it was the doing of Lhachlhass himself or the Headmaster, but then, he couldn't say it was of the greatest concern to him.
He carefully folded his clothes and put them away. Given that five out of the ten complete outfits he owned were school uniforms, two were casual clothing, one was minimalistic formal-wear and two were pajamas, it was a fairly simple and quick tasks.
The books came next. Since there wasn't exactly a bookshelf and books made up the majority of Hitoshi's possessions, it was a more difficult task, mostly consisting of Hitoshi organizing by what seemed like a crude rehash of the Dewey Decimal System spanning the area under Hitoshi's bed, the desk, and the top of the dresser. The small section on fiction books, which looked to consist solely of required school reading, sat beneath the window.
"I don't mean to clutter your room, but I don't see any other place to keep them," Hitoshi explained almost apologetically. "If the books are a problem, I can store some of them in Rudy and Thrall's room." They kind of owed him, after all...
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 0:07:00 GMT -5
"I'm not going to complain about books," Alex smiled warmly, "and there's plenty of space. I don't take up much room." Having something social and rational to do had calmed him down fairly quickly.
He looked at a couple of them as he was putting them up. "Actually, could I borrow some of these? If, uhm." I'm still alive, I'm not hauled off to some other horrible surprise, if this isn't some terrible mistake... Alex looked troubled for a moment, then shook his head and went back to helping with the last bits.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 0:12:50 GMT -5
Hitoshi shrugged. "I don't see why not, as long as you don't lose them or harm them in any way and I get them back when I need them." He paused for a moment, appraising the room. "Don't fold down the pages to mark your place, either. Rudy does that, and I can't stand it."
Hitoshi glanced over the bed clothes, trying to determine if they had been washed or not recently. He couldn't tell, which probably meant 'no', and since he didn't know what that urchin had rolled in, it would probably be in his best interest to wash them before he slept in the bed. Preferably in bleach. Or he could just throw them out.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 0:49:22 GMT -5
"I won't."
He sat the book back down and peered out the window. The sun was shining over what of the lake he could see, and the landscape was neat and tidy. There was a bit of muss and stone around from where the wall had crumbled slightly, but even that seemed like a natural extension of the landscape.
"Hitoshi," he asked softly, "what sort of place have I ended up?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 7:37:02 GMT -5
Hitoshi glanced back, opening his text book on the desk to the page where he had left off. Typically his response would have been something sarcastic, but somehow the situation didn't seem to call for it. He wasn't entirely sure what the boy was asking. As far as Hitoshi could see, everything was entirely normal. (Well, alright, there was a gaping hole in the adjacent wall and a boy thinking he was a faerie had just made his kind, soft-hearted cousin nearly have an aneurism, so maybe normal was a bit of a stretch...)
"You mean Dunehelden?" he asked. "It's just what it looks like. It's a school."
Hitoshi shrugged, dusting the bits of drywall from his book and beginning to work on the assignment again. He was on the 'ethics' bit about potions, and it would be quite the understatement to say that Hitoshi was not a fan of this particular point of study.
Hitoshi glanced up at him, studying him with steel-gray eyes. "This is your first year here," Hitoshi stated. "From the reactions you have to everything here, I take it that you have no history of magic or Hunting in your imediate family." He paused for a moment, then added, "And I have a feeling that you weren't directly recruited by Veronique like most of the mortals here. How, pray tell, did you happen upon Dunehelden?"
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 19:47:14 GMT -5
"Uhm," Alex frowned. "My parents said that one of their friends talked it up, and that it was a very good school, and I could get a scholarship... so they thought I ought to try it for a year."
"There were flyers. They didn't mention anything about magic. And I really don't think I can do any, so I think I'm in the wrong place." He stared at the point where the wall met the floor, worried and awkward. "I'm sorry if that's a problem."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 20:11:40 GMT -5
Hitoshi's pencil stopped mid-word, and he leaned back in his chair. The look on his face was something akin to bewilderment. "That's...most peculiar. Dunehelden is a very private academy. Almost all of the mortals are here either because of family or because they were directly recruited by the Headmaster. I've never head of anything like that. That's a very curious story."
Hitoshi was fairly certain that the boy was telling the truth as he knew it, which meant that someone on the inside was interfering. It wouldn't be Veronique, or likely any of the Professors, since something like that would be completely unnecessary.
"The most reasonable conclusion, then, is that someone with inside knowledge seems to think you have promise as...something, probably a mage. Whoever it is doesn't seem to want you to know who they are."
Despite the little knowledge he had on the subject, it was evident that the wheels in Hitoshi's head were turning quite aggressively and he was already coming up with possible scenarios.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 20:23:31 GMT -5
Alex studied Hitoshi's face for a moment before glancing back away. So far, if this was a joke, it was a very well-rehearsed one, so much that he might as well fall for it; but more likely, he'd actually stumbled into something bizarre. The idea that someone thought he was supposed to be here was even more curious, and he chewed on his thumb as he considered what exactly his parents and those flyers had said, and whether there were any clues as to what was going on.
"Well. They never did say who'd told them, though obviously I don't know everybody they know," he mused. "I can't think of any reason someone would think I'd show promise in magic, but then, I didn't know anyone even still believed in it."
"-Do I- have I seen you before? Odd question, but you seem familiar." He looked curiously at Hitoshi.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 20:29:24 GMT -5
Hitoshi paused, glancing back up at Alex. "No," he replied quietly. "I really doubt you have."
It briefly crossed his mind that perhaps he should mention to Hitoshi that he had had a similar sensation when first they met.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 20:40:35 GMT -5
"Oh. I guess it's just one of those things, then."
Alex walked back over to his bed and sat down; he noticed his mp3 player was still on, and held it in his hand a moment before switching it off. He dug out one of his own books from under the bed and lay back against the pillows to read it.
After another moment of silence, he glanced back up at Hitoshi. "Thanks."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 20:47:38 GMT -5
Hitoshi continued with his homework, not bothering to glance up. "For what?"
Rudy and that damn club...he would need to start planning things soon and they still only had somewhere between three and five members. And since Hitoshi hardly counted himself and Thrall was likely to be more detrimental to the club than helpful - especially on his own - that more or less just left Rudy, who could be trusted to attract guests but not actually find any male members.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 20:53:33 GMT -5
"Answering my questions and being nice."
Alex still didn't really know what to do with himself, but he didn't want to bother Hitoshi much. He seemed like the sort of person to be easily annoyed- and he also seemed to be intelligent and potentially useful a decent friend.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 20:58:43 GMT -5
Hitoshi chuckled dryly. That was probably the first time anyone had called him nice. "You're welcome, I suppose."
Once he finished the homework, which only took him a few minutes longer, he closed the book quietly and pushed it to the side.
Now, regarding Rudy's stupid club...
Somewhere in Hitoshi's head, a light bulb went off.
"Would you be interesting in joining a club?" he asked. Now, to explain this in a positive enough way to convince the boy to join. "My cousins Rudy and Thrall, the twins, are starting a club, and we're a bit short on members." The key here would be to explain only the parts he asked about and be just vague enough that he didn't get the right wrong idea about the club.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 21:05:54 GMT -5
Blink blink. "Oh. A club?" People! Socialization! Ooh.
"What's it about?" He put down the book and looked at Hitoshi, smiling a bit.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 21:13:42 GMT -5
Hitoshi paused for a moment. Time to make this convincing. "The club is being sponsored by Professor Himmel. Rudy is the President of it, I'm the manager, Thrall is...I'm sure Rudy made up some title for him to appease him. The club is more or less for socialization itself, centered around planning events, such as dances and banquets, tea parties, things like that. The club will meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after school. Mondays will be reserved for planning and official club business, while Wednesdays and Fridays will be devoted to activities."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 21:20:00 GMT -5
Alex nodded slowly as Hitoshi talked, seeming to perk up. "I'd love to. I don't know anybody here, and that sounds wonderful."
"Uhm, what are your cousins like, normally? I suppose you spend a lot of time with them."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 21:36:44 GMT -5
Hitoshi paused, thinking of the most positive light he could shed on his cousins. Calling them 'hopeless idiots completely detached from any semblance of reality' probably wasn't the best course of action.
"It's difficult to explain them if you don't know them," he responded slowly. "Rudy is...typically kind, but overzealous and melodramatic. He's charismatic, but he lacks enough common sense to put it towards anything useful. All in all a decent fellow, when he's not spouting poetry or bursting into song."
Thrall would be more of challenge. "Thrall is...rough around the edges, but genuinely a good person. He's a bit more of a realist. If you let him, though, he'll get you into trouble at every corner. Separately they can be a bit much, but together... they either balance each other out or they magnify each other's bad qualities, depending on the situation. They're both rather impulsive, which is probably why Rudy wanted me in the club. He seems to at least have the ability to recognize that he has no foresight whatsoever."
Well, Hitoshi wasn't going to lie to the poor boy, at any rate. He had every right to know what he was getting into with those two morons.
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 21:44:52 GMT -5
Alex considered this. Hitoshi was probably still annoyed about the wall exploding and having to move, so that probably factored into his evaluation. Nevertheless...
"All right. They don't sound much worse than most people." Once you start picking at them, anyway. Alex supposed that might sound a bit rude, if he was perceptive enough, but it didn't seem to be outside what was expected in this situation; he watched Hitoshi's expression with interest. This was much more fun than a book, though he wanted to get back to it at some point.
"So if you don't mind, what classes are you taking?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 22:02:49 GMT -5
He paused. "I haven't got my schedule yet, so I'm not entirely sure, but I signed up for Advanced Potions in the university section, Honors Sophomore English, World Politics, Journalism, Calculus AB, Divinations I, Enchantments II, Advanced Necromancy, and Independent Studies. Most magic classes are only once a week and worth just half a credit, since this gives the students more opportunity to explore different schools. Advanced classes run two or three times a week depending on the class."
He sighed a bit. "I had intended for my Independent Studies project to be something to do with magic, but Veronique overruled me and decided I would be teaching an introductory cooking class."
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 6, 2009 22:06:38 GMT -5
Alex raised an eyebrow. 'Advanced Potions'. This was sounding more and more like somebody was trying to re-write Harry Potter.
"Oh. I might be in World Politics too." He smiled. "Why cooking?... Which one is Veronique again?"
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 6, 2009 22:14:05 GMT -5
Hitoshi paused for a moment. "Veronique is the Headmaster. She would probably decapitate me if she heard me address her so informally, but it's a bit of a habit since my uncles and my aunt both call her by her first name."
He scoffed. "Cooking isn't the issue. I'm actually a decent cook, and Veronique couldn't seem to find anyone willing and capable of teaching it. It's the teaching part that's the issue. The woman seems to get enjoyment out of making others miserable."
With the level of schadenfreude that woman displayed, it was hard to believe that Himmel was the German one.
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 10, 2009 20:49:08 GMT -5
Hitoshi reveled in the comfortable silence for a moment, pleased with the quality of his completed summer assignments. He had finished the English homework with ease, as it required only that he read Jane Eyre and Dracula, then write a paper comparing and contrasting them. It was a boring little explanation of Victorian sensibilities and the like, but it was decently written and hit all the points necessary to achieve an A, and Hitoshi wasn't particularly worried about making it interesting, as long as it was satisfactory. Hitoshi put pragmatism above entertainment, and it had always served him well in the past.
The Advanced Potions work was done, as well; as his favorite class, he had finished the Advanced Necromancy homework the week it was assigned, though he had gone back once a week to review the material, just in case.
He had even finished making all the preparations for Rudy's host club that he could with the limited resources and members he had thus far. He had read all of the books currently in his possession, some of them several times over, and he had read anything of interest in the school library.
It was thus that Hitoshi became aware of a sensation that he was very seldom privy to: Hitoshi Gilespi, the meticulous planner and pragmatist of his frivolous and carefree family, was hopelessly bored without his idiot cousins or his flippant sister to pester him.
"..."
Damn it. What had his life come to?
"Hey, Alex, has anyone showed you around the school?" he asked, feeling slightly defeated. Since when did his life revolve around being tormented by his intolerable family members?
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Post by Alex Meriweather on Apr 10, 2009 22:52:35 GMT -5
Alex looked up from his book.
"No. I went straight to the dorms and put my things away. I was planning on exploring later, if it were permitted."
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Post by Hitoshi Gilespi on Apr 10, 2009 23:24:05 GMT -5
Hitoshi paused for a moment. "If you want, I can show you around a little. There isn't a whole lot here, aside from the obvious," he explained. "Regardless of it's unusual circumstances, it's still a school. But it's big enough that you probably would like to know where things are."
He pushed himself away from the desk, stretching slightly. "I also wouldn't mind getting something to eat. There's a small kitchen area with student access by the mess hall, if you're hungry. I don't eat food prepared by the school."
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