[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/TjytTdM.png[/img][/center]
Emma sat still as Director Zhang looked over the group- she saw little use in resisting and was interested in getting out of the interrogation room as soon as possible. The girl was visibly distressed, clearly not acclimated to a situation like this. She'd hardly ever even seen a gun before, and certainly has never had them pointed at her while she was handcuffed and unable to move. Suffice to say the girl wasn't a big fan of USARILN East's orientation. When she first heard of the institute it was pitched to her as a school, but it now felt more like a prison. Emma gauged the reactions of the others- she was hoping they wouldn't cause trouble, as doing so would in turn cause more trouble for her. Their actions varied from anger to silent acceptance; one boy made a joke of the situation, and Emma couldn't help but chuckle slightly at his quips. At least, she would've been chuckling if not for their situation- Emma was hardly in the mood for jokes, but all the same the scarred boy put her a little more at ease. There was another notable boy in their party- but he hadn't been on the bus with them. They had brought him in, perhaps to calm them? Let them know that despite all the 'fanfare' it wasn't all bad? He sipped from a cup of coffee; something that would no doubt would have been of help to Emma. He appeared to be a student, and took time to reassure them that they would be relatively safe if they agreed to enter USARILN peacefully. Emma hardly had it in her to argue with him. She found his presence somehow soothing, even in the terrible situation she found herself in. She wasn't exactly sure why but as soon as he had entered the room a small sense of serenity crept in with him. 

However soon enough any semblance of calm was quickly broken. One of the other girls, a tall and pale women with a near ghostly appearance, stood up. She had been one of the more hostile members of their group, quick to deride the boy that Zhang had brought in. As soon as Emma recognized her she also recognized that her handcuffs were gone. [color=8A3DFF][i]How is that possible? When did she get the chance to remove them?[/i][/color] The girl rose her hands, quick to surrender despite her desire to escape from bondage. It seemed her only desire was to ask them to hurry the orientation along. [i][color=8A3DFF]Why go through all that trouble just for that?[/color][/i] Emma had no time to wonder. Zhang seemed almost content to let the transgression slide, but one of her lackeys had an itchy trigger finger. Zhang shot him in the arm before he could unload on the group, but several stray bullets were caught by some of her fellow new arrivals. Emma recoiled in fear, letting out a surprised gasp. Tears welled in her eyes- she had never seen anyone die, and was hoping that it would stay that way. The sound of the bullets rung in her ear- they were so loud, unexpectedly so. She quickly hid her eyes for her own sake. They only opened again when she felt someone roughly grab her leg- they placed an ankle bracelet on her and took away her handcuffs. She gave a quick glance to the other students- the ones that had been shot- to see if they were alright, but quickly looked away. She didn't have it in her to look at they gory scene, and they certainly didn't look okay. 

Before long a bumbling secretary came in- he looked out of place among the military personal, seemingly as shocked as Emma was at the death that had occurred. He was bout to speak, but his role was forcibly taken from him by a man who Emma assumed to be Zhang's commander. He began to announce who would be roomed with who- it didn't take them long to read off her name. 

[color=f7976a]"Hazel Baker--exception, Emma Halwell--exception, Lawrence Ellison. Suite 318. Building A."[/color]

Emma gave an odd look- she was an exception? She didn't bother to question it, she was ready to leave. The picture became clear soon enough anyways; the other Aberrations were given single rooms, but she was roomed with the Arbiters, presumably for good behavior. Emma shivered a little- she would have preferred a single. In fact, she was downright terrified of having to deal with roommates; she would have to maintain her usual chipper exterior nearly all day. Thankfully as the list was finished the secretary announced that they were finally allowed to leave. Emma breathed a sigh of relief. There were two other interesting pieces of information that came with this; they would have to take a written assessment and a combat assessment. Emma wasn't too worried about a academic test, but combat? Of course she knew that she should've expected this. Subnatural's were expected to be the government's weapon now. She was effectively a soldier, but that reality hadn't quite set in. Emma had never been in a fight, least of all one that involved superpowers and monsters. At the very least she had four days to prepare. She resigned herself to worrying about it when she came to it.

Finally she was carted off along with her new roommates to their dorm. She looked at the others- her new roommates.. Hazel had been silent during the entire ordeal, but something about her off-put Emma. Her eyes were hidden behind a wall of bangs and she had seemed entirely calm despite everything. The other was Lawrence, the veteran student of their group. His presence was once again somewhat calming, although Emma wasn't sure why. She didn't really know him after all and as such had no reason to be reassured by him, but all the same she was. Her new dorm was surprisingly nice, in a modern and clean building. It wasn't what Emma expected after the not-so-warm reception. She had a feeling that her fellow Aberrations that weren't 'exceptions' wouldn't be getting fancy housing like her's. Their guard left them with a warning of a curfew; Emma wouldn't have trouble following it, or at least didn't expect to. Now that they were alone she glanced at Lawrence and Hazel, a look of relief filling her face. The relief was intermingled with a hint of anxiety and worry, but it was there all the same. At the very least she was free now. The boy named Lawrence spoke up:

[color=00ffbb]"So yeah, name's Lawrence. Sorry that your powers manifested, but now you're here and we'll be living together. I don't really know what your powers are but please if you're going to blow the place up make sure to do it when I'm out, or at least when I'm awake. My own alarm is bad enough."[/color]

Hazel, her other roommate, merely nodded. Emma did the same, but her nod spoke more to meekness than what seemed to be Hazel's apathy. Emma didn't exactly feel talkative after today's events, but all the same she resolved to speak out of a sense of politeness. After a small awkward silence she cleared her throat.

[color=8A3DFF]"I'm Emma, but I guess you know that already... it's nice to meet you Lawrence,"[/color] She glanced at the other girl, [color=8A3DFF]"And you too Hazel. I'm sorry if we're intruding Lawrence, but I hope we can get along..."[/color] Emma trailed off, but it was evident that she was done talking. As Lawrence opened the door he was greeted by a hungry stare. Emma let out a slight gasp of surprise at what was within: A very cute dog. Emma almost reached out to pet it but decided to abstain out of fear of being rude. Lawrence had a brief standoff with the animal before it ran off. Emma was fond of dogs, really of animals in general, and looked forward to properly meeting Lizzy.

For now Emma followed Lawrence inside his dorm. Emma supposed it was their dorm now, but all the same felt as if she was entering someone else's home. It was clean yet simple, surprisingly spacious given the nature of their school. Emma hoped it would feel like home soon, but for the time being yearned to return to her parent's home and her simple life. Lawrence spoke again, [color=00ffbb]"You guys have had a longer day than I have, you can have first dibs on the shower tonight if you want. Fridge is pretty empty, but there's a pot of coffee if that's your thing, but I figure you'll want to be heading to sleep instead of staying up. Your welcome was... well, about the same as mine, it's probably better if you try to relax and not think about it too much."[/color]

Emma glanced at the coffee pot but decided against it. She would need to sleep soon, but for now wasn't content with staying in the dorm. She wanted to be by herself, or more accurately she wanted to escape. Not escape from USARILN but from her roommates. Hazel was quick to take a bed and sleep. Emma eyed the contents of the space that had now been designated hers- a collection of objects and papers. She smiled at Lawrence, although it was an awkward shy smile, [color=8A3DFF]"Thank you Lawrence, but... I just got here so I'm going to collect my stuff, then I'd like to take a look around campus, alright? I'll be back before curfew."[/color] She went to her desk and quickly looked through everything. She grabbed the map and folded it, placing it in her pocket. As for the exams and release forms... she decided they could wait for another time. She also grabbed her ID. [color=8A3DFF][i]$500? They certainly don't spare any expense for new students...[/i][/color]

She instinctively reached for her wallet to place the card into, but of course she didn't have it. Or did she? She eyed the duffel bag on the foot of her bed, and then strode over to open it. Her suspicions had been confirmed, finding what had been on her when she had been taken prisoner. There wasn't much- her cell phone and her wallet, but that was it. They hadn't bothered to grab her clothes, of course... she'd have to spend some of her money shopping. Maybe she'd ask Hazel if she wanted to go with her? The girl didn't exactly seem overly friendly, but maybe Emma was wrong about that. For now she opened her wallet- there wasn't much inside it. She didn't have a credit card or anything to that effect- only her old student ID and some pocket change which totaled $12. She pulled out her old ID card. She decided to hang onto it, if not for anything other than a sense of nostalgia, placing it on the desk. It was odd for her to be nostalgic about a life she had been leading up until only a few days ago, but all the same it felt like it had been an eternity since she was really normal. She replaced the old ID with her new one- the one that marked her as a mage and USARILN student. With her belongings in order she turned back to the door and gave Lawrence a slight nod before leaving. 

She hovered in the hallway for a moment- she wasn't sure where she wanted to go, but she certainly knew she wanted to be alone. Her neighbors seemed to have already settled in, not that she was particularly worried about them. Emma, for now, was content to wander. She meandered aimlessly down the paths around the dorm building until she found a lonely bench illuminated by the lamp of a streetlight. She took a seat and then glanced around her- she was alone, or at the very least seemed to be. She let out a deep sigh, and finally allowed tears to slide down her cheeks. She knew that she was in a fucked up situation, and that knowledge had only been made worse by her stigma, which had been practically screaming in her brain since she had left the dorm. She reached for the phone in her pocket, turning it on and verifying that it still worked. Things had gotten a little rough when USARILN had grabbed her, but it appeared to still be perfectly functional. Before she unlocked it she glanced at her notifications. She had received 264 texts since she last opened it. A plethora of friends and family had been metaphorically blowing her up in a worried confusion- word had spread, it appeared, that she was a subnatural and had been taken in by the government. 

She opened up her messages and glanced over them, but didn't take the time to respond to any of them- she didn't feel like it was appropriate to worry about her old friends. She was a student of USARILN now and she knew that she likely would never see them again. Instead Emma sent a message to her sister, Valentine.

[color=8A3DFF][center]Hey, Val... I just got out of our 'orientation' and into our dorms. Things are crazy here. I think they're monitoring this. Call me asap. Love you.[/center][/color]

Emma waited for the next several hours. She alternated between worry and despair, and cried at least 4 times. She continually glanced at her phone, but there was nothing. Nothing from Ves at least; curious friends and acquaintances continued to spam her for information on what was happening. Knowing them this was going to turn into some huge story that people would gossip about, but she didn't have it in her care. At least she had wanted to believe she didn't care, but her stigma continually reminded her that she really did. She glanced at her phone again; it was nearly curfew. She would need to get back to her dorm. After a short walk she found herself back inside the building, but decided to stop by a bathroom before going to her room. She didn't need to use it, but had suspected that she looked like a mess. She glanced in the mirror, confirming her suspicions. Her mascara was running, and probably has been for some time. She found a napkin and wiped it away. Her face was puffy and red; it was clear that she had been crying. She splashed her face with water but wasn't quite satisfied with the results. All the same curfew was nearing and she had to return to her dorm, quickly turning away from herself and heading out the door.

She slowly opened the door, creeping in quietly. She was intent on avoiding confrontation with her roommates. She headed to bed quickly, eager to finally sleep.

[hr]

Emma woke up a little before 6- she was accustomed to being an early riser, even though it was contrary to her nature. She had always been a bit of an overachiever and had enrolled in early morning classes at her old school. She glanced around the room- Hazel was still asleep and so was Lawrence. Emma rose slowly before heading to the shower, trying her best to keep quiet as not to wake her roommates. She realized she didn't have a change of clothes- today she would have to start spending some of the money she had been granted. After locking the bathroom door she neatly folded her clothes and hopped in the shower. Once again she found herself in sweet solitude. She would've stayed in the shower longer than she needed if only for the fact that she didn't want to find angry roommates outside wondering what was taking so long. For the sake of brevity she avoided wallowing, turning off the shower and finding a towel. She quickly dried off then redressed- she felt a little gross, having not changed for a while, but endured it. She reemerged into the dorm to find her roommates still asleep. She quietly strode to her desk, examining the exams and forms. 

For now she set aside the tests, choosing to focus on the requisition form. Emma eyed it curiously. [color=8A3DFF][i]I wonder what I can get away with...[/i][/color] Up until now had been meek, but seeing how far the institute had gone to make them feel comfortable- the fancy room and the money- she decided she would test the system and see what she can get away with.


[hider=Emma's Requisition Form]
[i]In flowery and neat handwriting the girl asks for...[/i]
-Shampoo
-Conditioner
-An assorted smattering of makeup, brand names included. Her requests run the gamut; everything that a posh popular girl could possibly need to look fabulous
-An iPhone charger. as her phone was running quite low by now
-Quick, cheap junk food- Chips, an assorted list of different flavors of instant ramen, and candy.
[/hider]

Emma was satisfied for now. She hoped her requests wouldn't backfire- there was always the chance that an unhappy USARILN official would order her execution, a scenario that she didn't relish. She momentarily considered asking for a kitten- Emma had been fond of cute little cats, but she decided it best to find out how Lizzy would react to a feline companion first. She also shook away though of asking the institute for clothing. She was a teenage girl, and what teenage girl wanted other people to pick out their outfits?

It was by this time that Hazel had awoken. Emma glanced at her, [color=8A3DFF]"Good mor-"[/color] Before Emma could finish her sentence Hazel began stripping. Emma quickly turned away. [color=8A3DFF][i]Ohmygodwhat'swrongwithher[/i][/color] was all she thought. Emma tried again, [color=8A3DFF]"Uh, uh, good m-morning Hazel..."[/color] She stammered out. She didn't look, but she assumed she received a nod in response. She heard a door behind her close and turned. Hazel was now in the bathroom. Emma was bright red, [color=8A3DFF][i]I hope Hazel isn't some kind of pervert...[/i][/color] For now Emma had nothing to do, so she turned to the tests in front of her. They covered all traditional subjects; she wasn't too worried about it, having never found much difficulty in her old school's curriculum.

She began filling out the exam forms with relative ease. She'd been an advanced student, and there was little in the material that phased her. Partway through her test Hazel emerged from the bathroom... still nude. [i][color=8A3DFF]Seriouslywhyisthishappeningtome[/color][/i] Emma did all she could to look away from the naked girl. She was trying her hardest to stay quiet, trying to justify Hazel's actions in her head. [i][color=8A3DFF]Maybe it's a cultural thing! Yeah, maybe that's just the way she was raised... I shouldn't judge, I should [b]not[/b] judge... I need too... I need to try to be friends with her... I hardly even know her! I can't be rude...I'll just try to be polite![/color][/i] 

[color=8A3DFF]"Uh... h-hey... Haaaaaaazel... do you think uh... could you maybe put some clothes on... p-please? Uh... perhaps we can go shopping together later, yeah? That would be fun, right?! I need to get new clothes, and I'm sure you need to get things too... like clothes for yourself... or other things too?"[/color] Emma said with a healthy amount of shyness and stammering, doing her very best to maintain her smile all the same.

[hider=OOC Note and Mentions]
[@GreenGoat] [@Snagglepuss89]

Snaggle, I mentioned that Lawrence is still asleep. I figured it was best to go ahead and post since you said you'd be out for a while and used that as an excuse to not write about Lawrence instead of just being super vague. That's just temporary and whenever you get back on you can message me and I can totally edit the morning part to have Lawrence included. 
[/hider]