By the time Hazel arrived at the A-Rank dorms the sun had begun to sink into the distant horizon, the sky turning a brilliant shade of bright orange. Hazel pushed against glass-paneled double door that led into the foyer of the dorm. The building brought some degree of comfort to her troubled head, serving to quell the the raging yet subtle malestorm of emotion. Her thoughts calmed as the familiar scent of what she could only describe as the only place that she could consider 'home' filled her nostrils. The scent was really only the drab but clean scent of lavender air freshener, but that hardly changed it's effect.

Hazel moved past the foyer and into one of the hallways that was lined with doors on each side, each leading into a students room. Some hung open, ready for wandering guests, the sounds of video games or TVs or perhaps something else spilling out. Some stood closed, protecting students busy studying or resting or perhaps something else still. She had of course experienced living in each different level's dormitory and in Hazel's opinion there was something uniquely comforting about the atmosphere the A-Rank's living area held. 

A soothing sense of familiarity connects all the students housed inside. A-Rank, being the rank with the smallest amount of students, was tight knit. Everyone in the dorm knew each other, unlike the lower tiers which attracted the majority of the students. But hanging latently among the familiarity was an air of competition and one-upmanship. Everyone in A-Rank was there because they wanted to be the best and trained hard, or perhaps obtained a great degree of natural talent. Regardless of the reason they were there, they were there because they were willing to try, and most didn't want to stop at A. 

It was indeed true that most A-Ranked students thought they deserved to be S-Ranked and Hazel was no exception. Many of the students in the dorm bragged about their accomplishments and success on assignments, always trying to seem the stronger candidate for promotion then their fellow students. Hazel thrived in this aspect of dorm life. If she was good at anything it was telling other people that she was better then them. 

But the sense of familiarity had a negative effect in that word spread quickly of your doings among your peers. People's opinions changed fast, and unlike the large numbed of seemingly faceless E-Ranked students all of the A-Ranks at least had some cursory knowledge of who their fellows were, which sometimes worked at a disadvantage if you did something that could potentially harm your reputation. She wouldn't be entirely surprised if she heard word tomorrow that someone has mistaken Hayato Nishimura for her new boyfriend, having seen them eating dinner together. But overall Hazel thought that the unique atmosphere of the A-Ranks were comforting, and she almost felt as if she was a part of some special group.

Hazel arrived at her door quickly, unlocking it and pushing it open. All things were of course still where she left them. Her sword case still lay open on her bed. She scanned the room for the remote that controlled her TV, but was unable to find it. She searched for several minutes before finally finding underneath her bed, likely slipping off it at some point last night. She turned on the TV, not particularly paying attention to what was on, only letting the white noise it provided fill her head. She unsheathed her sword and placed it into the case, and then began to peel off her clothes, which were sticky with sweat from today's mission. 

She changed into her pajamas, and settled in for what would likely be an uneventful evening of television watching, which would soon give way into sleep.