[center][color=00a99d][h2]Ernest Mars[/h2][/color][/center] [center][img]http://i68.tinypic.com/63x8xz.jpg[/img][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. 𝟟, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / π•Œπ•Šπ”Έβ„π•€π•ƒβ„• 𝔼𝕒𝕀π•₯ / / 𝕆𝕦π•₯π•€π•šπ••π•– β„‚π•’π•žπ•‘π•¦π•€ / / 𝟘𝟑𝟘𝟘[/color][/center][hr] [color=00a99d]"...so they had to keep throwing grass and stuff up there so the freakin' cow wouldn't die on them! In the end, it took like three days before the specialist came to get it down. Let's just say the steak that night was wayyy more satisfying than usual."[/color] A pleasing chorus of laughter filled the truck. Ernie relaxed back into his seat, an elated expression lighting up his face. Another excellent story told. He wondered if he'd have time to tell the one about the lamb shank too. Or the one with the brick bat. The cow in the clock tower wasn't even one of his top twenty! Everyone in the convoy was chuckling along except for a notable few colleagues including Carlton, the freckled ginger kid cowering a few seats down from him. Man, why did stupid Carly always have to be such a bummer? Before Ernie could jab at the guy a voice rung from further down the row. [color=f7976a]"Guys, we're here!"[/color] Faces were pressed to the transparent sides of the truck; a rather unnecessary measure, Ernie thought, since every single wall was see-through. The excited chattering turned to disappointed mutters soon enough. It was plain to see why. No outdoor vending machines, no chalked hopscotch courts, no funny hand-made posters advertising movie nights. Not a damn lick of color to be seen anywhere. All the buildings were 'modern' or in more accurate words, infuriatingly square and monochrome. It gave Ernie the impression of a robot village. God, did a colorblind funeral director design this place? The dark-haired boy glanced around. There was another concern. Where were all the people? That was actually one of the rumors flying around. East had tossed too many kids onto the chopping block and now they were desperately in need of cannon fodder, fodder that was to be supplied by USARILN West. A peruse of the establishment backed the claims up. Way more guards, way less kids here. The stats on DnT had spoken for themselves, with West outnumbering East's student population by the thousands. No wonder the campus was so small and bland. There were barely any kids to cater to. Bad vibes all over. The story getting thrown around was that East's resident overlord had ordered a bulk delivery of a few hundred of USARILN West's most combat ready subnaturals. Ernie bit back a giggle. Classic Kleinfelder. Instead of a small army, their ever-so-charming Director had sent... He surveyed his transfer buddies. Jess, who could breathe out a tiny plume of steam. Carlton, whose power was to change the colors of inanimate objects. Arpad, the idiot who nearly got himself shot a few months ago when he showed off his slightly better-than-average jumping skills and got stuck on the barbed wire fencing. And twenty or thirty other subnaturals as lame as these guys. Useless, useless, useless. A planned transfer of four hundred subnatural soldiers had been whittled down to a number of kids that was small enough to fit into just two military trucks. Indeed, Kleinfelder's extensive rosters weren't filled with the 'combat ready' sort. Usually the hard hitters got poached before they could set foot in the vibrant corridors of West. Zhang must have been seriously desperate to have asked their star-spangled overlord for help and Ernie could only hope that her wrath wasn't going to be taken out on them. The news had been quite surprising when it arrived. Not just the transfer itself, but the fact that his name was included on that list on the jumbotron. Ernie's powers were far from being as pathetic as his fellows. In fact he was one of the more capable mages on campus, not that it was a particularly stunning achievement when you lived at West. Guess his rather stingy habits in battle were what had tipped the odds against his favor. That was hardly fair. He was just a guy who had his priorities straight when it mattered. And if some poor sap got inconvenienced or even killed because of the order of that list of priorities then, well... They wouldn't have lasted long anyways. They wouldn't have deserved to. Although, if he'd known that he'd end up here he would have definitely switched around the order on that list. Now look at where that had gotten him. He could and would have given up a limb or two to avoid being sent to gallows like this. He was scared. No, that was a bit extreme. He was jittery. [i]Apprehensive[/i]. Huh, those vocab quizzes came in handy after all. He was apprehensive because if East's reputation was anything to go by, it meant that he and the handful of other West transfers had just received an all-expenses-paid trip to the average mage's death row. Complementary free meals and accomodation to go with a spectacular death at the hands of Dreamcatcher's monsters. At least they had the decency to include in-flight movies. So yeah, he was kinda bummed out. He was allowed to be. He'd had simple plans, a neat little vision for the future. And the only real requirement for these plans was staying alive. The barest minimum. Unfortunately the transfer had really shoved a steak knife into the garbage disposal. The forums had described USARILN East as the nightmare that held "the record for most casualties on campus as of this year." And that was from 2015. How much worse could the institution have gotten since then? Things were not looking pretty here, literally and figuratively. Then there was that other matter to add to his irritation. A scowl began tearing its way through Ernie's pleasant-faced expression. It had only been a few days since he'd topped off but he was already beginning to feel the familiar scratching in his chest, the aching sensation of stolen warmth. Dammit, he should have taken care of it before the flight. His Stigma tolerance was getting crappier by the day. With a somewhat irritated huff, he leaned forward to get a view of his favorite freckled punching bag. Even with the smallness of the convoy he had a few helpers to choose from. Guess the transfer wasn't as bad as it could have been. [color=00a99d]"Hey Carly!"[/color] Ernie called out, the standard pep flavoring his voice. Carlton flinched in his seat and slowly turned to face Ernie's cheery grin. [color=f7976a]"Wh-what?"[/color] the freckled teen whispered. The others had either gone quiet or started their own conversations, leaving Ernie to his own devices. Ah, these guys had learnt well. At least some people here knew how to act. [color=00a99d]"I'm feeling kinda down,"[/color] Ernie's smile didn't falter for a second, causing Carlton to shake even more, [color=00a99d]"Meet up with me after orientation?"[/color] The hapless boy eyed the soldiers, garnering a tick of annoyance from Ernie. Like guard dogs had ever been a problem for him. And Carlton should have been the most well-versed with Ernie's stealthiness. Dummies like him were so irritating. [color=00a99d]"You know I'll just find you later,"[/color] Ernie pushed, [color=00a99d]"If you make this more annoying than it has to be, it's gonna..."[/color] Dang. Threats, fancy talk in general, had never been his strong point. His actions had always spoken louder than his words ever could. [color=00a99d]"It's gonna seriously suck,"[/color] he finished rather lamely, [color=00a99d]"for you."[/color] Luckily Carlton was spooked enough to catch Ernie's drift. Past actions louder than current words. Perfect. The truck came to a stop as their conversation ended and the transfers were herded off. Carlton and Ernie were promptly pulled along with their row, once again separated. A soldier with a clipboard was waiting by the truck's door. [color=f7976a]"Ernest Mars?"[/color] The boy in question jerked his head to the call of his name. [color=00a99d]"Huh? Yep, that's me."[/color] [color=f7976a]"Special arrangements. You'll be coming with us."[/color] Ernie let out a nervous chuckle, eyeing his fellows. His buddies looked as befuddled as he was. [color=00a99d]"I...I haven't even gone to orientation yet,"[/color] he tried to keep his confused smile intact, [color=00a99d]"Am I going to a special dorm room or something?"[/color] The guard with the clipboard ignored the student and nodded to his subordinates. Ernie was released from the chain. With a barrel to his back, he was escorted forward. [color=f7976a]"You can receive your orientation in class."[/color] [color=00a99d]"Class?!"[/color] [color=f7976a]"Move it."[/color] It was probably best not to annoy them any further. Without another protest, Ernie began walking. The unfamiliar hallways were just as bland as their exteriors. At least he couldn't fault East for consistency. Why the hell was he the only one forced into these 'special arrangements'? Was he finally gonna get that ass-kicking he deserved after all the shit he pulled at West? He'd heard East was borderline fascist with its discipline but going after him as soon as he stepped off the truck seemed a bit [i]too[/i] hardcore. Ernie was unceremoniously shoved into an empty classroom, a clicking sound from the door signalling that it would be a dumb idea to try to leave. Well, this sucked. With nowhere left to go, he tentatively walked about the room. A quick inspection told him that it was just a normal classroom after all. Were they planning to interrogate or punish him in here? Or was he waiting for others with the same arrangements? Argh, this was too much thinking for nine in the morning. Dejection clear in his posture, Ernie slumped into a seat by the window. He stared glumly out the window, watching the new world in front of him. Things weren't looking good.