location: airport lounge place
Alora wouldn’t credit herself with being particularly observant, but even she could notice the several oddities of this year. Having been a student of Kalopsia since her freshman year (and also because of her certain history with the academy as a result of her family), she had become accustomed to a certain standard, so for the school to so suddenly fall beneath it was stutteringly noticeable. It was as if there were little cracks running through the school’s otherwise pristine reflection; not only were they glaringly obvious, but they seemed far more severe than they would’ve on a glass that survived many battles.
It was a bad omen that school hadn’t even begun, and yet already the cracks were continuing to spiral outward. The different airline. Crack. The cheap blankets. Crack. Most things were the same, yes, like how accustomed the staff was with her, but it was the small things being weird that were most worrisome to her. Alora knew, probably better than most, that it was these small cracks that belied a greater problem beneath the surface. As she made her way into the lounge, designer purse in hand, a part of her had to wonder how long until the glass shattered, leaving her with hands encased in blood and shards digging into her skin.
If Kalopsia was going to have some sort of fall, like a once-great empire, it was very inconvenient that all of that had to happen during her senior year, which was supposed to be the pinnacle of high school. Putting aside everything wrong with Kalopsia at the moment, she also had to deal with her uncle’s mess—the bastard child, Taiyo—who, in the matter of moments, it seemed, was now taking up far too much space in her personal bubble. Though he was technically a Sommer, it still felt to her like an intruder was in her home, sitting at the breakfast table and breaking bread, as if his presence was not inherently weird and unwanted. Well. Unwanted by her, at least. She couldn’t say the same for the rest of her family.
Out the corner of her eye, she could see him now, in the lounge, seeming to be walking towards her—as if they were now some sort of buds simply because they were in the same grade, school and, astonishingly, House? Narrowing her eyes, Alora swiftly side-stepped him, nipping the impending conversation in the bud with a curt “Nope,” before walking off in the opposite direction. He was another fissure in the glass, but he was only temporary; in truth, she did not believe he would last the year. She loved her uncle, but, well, Taiyo was his son and the apple never fell far from the tree.
To add to the growing cracks was the unexpected announcement that came from the House teachers as Alora continued on her path away from her cousin—this, caught her by surprise, halting the click of her heels on the tiled floor. Maxen Labelle? Dead? She knew of him more than she knew him, but she recognized him as staff to the school, and so the fact that the gas leak had actually killed one of their admin… Her brows creased slightly, before she caught herself and cleared her expression. It was beginning to feel like her elder sister had dogded some sort of war zone simply by graduating a year earlier. Which, of course she had.
After the moment of silence, she continued moving, her strides leading her towards Carmo, someone she’d describe as a welcome annoyance and also someone she had wanted to speak to as soon as she’d received her welcome letter. The letter was only another demonstration of the school’s sudden competency, but she felt Carmo would be the best person to discuss it with. So, she plopped down next to xem without much of a warning, a light smile dancing across her lips. “Iiiii bet you missed me, Carmello,” She said as a way of greeting, modifying xir name without much of a thought and while deftly ignoring the monumental words that’d come from their teachers minutes ago. Her hand disappeared into her purse, where it dug for the letter. “And so, I’ve come to fulfill your greatest dreams with my presence. And ah, don’t worry, no need to thank me, I’m a woman of service.”
Her hand emerged from her bag, clutching the letter, which she passed over to Carmo, clearly for xem to read it. “So, in other news, apparently I am a fencer now? Which is awful news for you simply because I feel like I am an excellent fencer and so you’d finally have proper competition, but, also is news to me.” She gestured at the letter she’d given xem, watching as xe took in the written words.
@Cam - Carmo