Lord Wraith

What kind of roleplays would you like to see on this site?

I would like to create something like this but I don't have GMing experience tbh, I'm better off as a player.

@Pyrrhic

You don't get GMing experience by not GMing. Everyone starts somewhere, just be honest and transparent with your players, state what you want to get out of the RP, where you want it to go and stand by your guns where necessary but don't suffocate your players either. There are plenty of articles, guides and general examples scattered throughout the site to help you get started.

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

Just reiterating again here in case it gets buried in the Discord chat:

Bartimaeus has been removed from the roster due to inactivity exceeding twenty-one days and non-responsiveness. Pallyx will be treated as having departed after the announcement at the Opening Ceremonies.

As we've essentially been operating at 11 characters for the past three weeks. I am not looking to add anyone new to the cast at this time and we'll just continue as we are. If in the future we lose more characters or the story branches to a point where we could reasonably add another character, we will re-evaluate then. But as it currently stands, I am happy and content both with the character's chemistry and player compatibility and don't want to do anything to compromise that.

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

As the pair began their walk, alone once more, Aurora couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the various conversations going on around them. The campus was abuzz with chatter surrounding the ceremony and the Foundation’s presence, and although she didn’t want to trigger another panic attack, it was hard to avoid the elephant in the room. “What do you think is going to happen?” She looked up at Lorcán, “The Foundation operates so differently, everyone knows that.”

“I don’t think-” Lorcán gathered his thoughts while they walked through the campus. His ember-like eyes danced around observing the students in their hushed groups. Everyone was on edge after the ceremony.

“Things might be choppy right now lady dude, but I don’t think we’ll just let them take over.” He finally responded. “If the school didn’t go down for that kook, Hyperion, it’s not going for these junkyard dogs. I can’t see my ‘rents bailing on us or P.R.C.U. for that grommet. No, I think they’re playing the long con, H.E.L.P. is going to go new school on this one and wow us all before the sun sets on this year.

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m scared.” The redhead revealed, looking down at her loafers as they moved along the paved pathway, “I don’t want things to change, I like them the way that they are.”

“It’s okay to be clucked,” Lorcán smiled reassuringly, “I think we’re all clucked in some way dude, everyone is afraid of being raked over by this. I know I am, before this mornin’ I was totally shaked for this year.”

“I really thought it was going to be ricos this year,” He wistfully muttered looking towards the looming clouds in the sky above the campus. “Looks like we’re really going to get worked though, but I think we’ll come through the otherside.” He smiled, wrapping an arm around Aurora and giving her a squeeze.

The redhead nodded, knowing that Lorcán spoke truthfully; sure, it might be rocky, it definitely would not be perfect, but they’d be okay in the end. Most importantly, they had each other.

Well… at least until graduation.

But Aurora didn’t want to think about that, not right now. They still had plenty of time together before she had to come to terms with him leaving the Island, potentially for good.

“Besides, nothing will ever change between us.” Pointing his chin towards the Myotis dorm in front of them, he spoke again.

“This is your stop, brah. I’ll grab my stuff and meet you back in her in ten to fifteen then?”

Aurora chose not to dwell on his words, responding with a simple nod while taking them at face value and not thinking through the subtext that riddled her mind.

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll be quick,” She replied through a forced smile, hoping he wouldn’t think anything of it, before taking a breath, clearing her mind, and vanishing into thin air.

“So rad,” Lorcán muttered while reaching out to where Aurora had been only seconds ago. He suddenly found himself missing her presence, a cold Easterly wind blowing across campus sent a shiver through his spine.

The weather had been this way exactly five years ago.

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: University Dormitories - Pacific Royal Campus}

Welcome Home #1.069: I've Been Talking With A Ghost

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): @Melissa - Aurora Mitchell}

Previously: Not Myself Today

Walking the short distance to the Canis dorm, Lorcán entered the building before making his way to his and Rory’s dormitory on the second floor. Opening the door to his bedroom from the shared living space, Lorcán froze in the doorway as he was greeted by a bald finely dressed man sitting on the edge of his bed.

“Jonas!?” Lorcán exclaimed entering the room, “But you’re de-”

“Yes,” Jonas replied, polishing his glasses as he stood up from the edge of the bed. “I had gathered I was already dead at this point in time. Pity, look at you all grown up.”

Jonas clapped Lorcán on his shoulders before gesturing for him to take a seat.

“You’re a spitting image of your father by the time he was this age, what are you now, nineteen?”

“Twenty-one actually,”

“Twenty-one, what an age. Have you and the lovely Miss A begun dating yet?” Jonas asked with his usual all-knowing twinkle in his eye.

“No, not yet at least,” Lorcán replied while rubbing the back of his head. “Are you, like a ghost or something?”

A hearty laugh filled the room, putting Lorcán somewhat more at ease but he was still suspicious as he studied the older man. He looked like Jonas, he sounded like Jonas, he even smelled like Jonas. The woody cologne with notes of tobacco leaf and vanilla hung in the stagnant air of the boys’ dorm.

“No, I assure you I am most corporeal,” Jonas replied while squeezing Lorcán’s shoulder. “I just don’t simply experience life quite as linearly as you do.” He explained though the vagueness of his phrasing left Lorcán with far more questions than he initially had.

“Tell me, my boy, what has happened on campus to have everyone in such an uproar? Even in you, behind your calm demeanour, I see the anger and hurt.”

“We totally lost our accreditation to basically all, the like, major programs. Pretty much means everything I’ve worked so hard for is absolutely bunked. Y’know, kinda feels like home is a bit of a prison.”

“After Crestwood Hollow, your father and his peers felt much the same way. They were outcasts, outed by their abilities, expelled from their school with nowhere to go in the world.”

“But they had you and then you made P.R.C.U.”

“That’s an oversimplification of events, but yes,” Jonas replied. “The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes, what looks like starting over is the beginning of something better. This school is a building, but its ideals are transferable. Just because someone else is taking the building doesn’t mean they get to crush its ideals.”

“But how am I supposed to make a difference out there without a degree?”

“Do you truly think it was the degree that was going to make the difference?” The older man asked with a sympathetic smile. “Come now, child. You’re wiser than that. The community here is what prepared you to make a difference. We created something here the world can only aspire to.”

“A place to go for those who had nowhere.” Jonas nodded as Lorcán responded before expounding further.

“More importantly a place where everyone belonged and mattered. That’s why we have the teams and the houses. We wanted to show how similar people could work together and how circumstance and adversity could be overcome. The uniforms serve to remind us that we are all Hyperhumans who are not only wanting, but also deserving of the same treatment and respect.”

Leaning back, Jonas crossed his legs before reclining slightly more.

“Many years ago, I had the opportunity to meet with Nakamura Yoshi, he wanted the school then as much as he seemingly does now. He’s an ambitious man, but not malicious. I suspect that if the loss of the school’s accreditation is linked to the Foundation, then it was not Nakamura who orchestrated it. There may be turmoil even within the Foundation’s ranks.”

“Was Kowalski also just ambitious?”

The question hung in the air for an uncomfortably long moment before Jonas replied.

“Yakob coveted power, a trait I let my love and admiration for him blind me to.”

“If you know he’s Hyperion, why can’t you just stop him?” Lorcán asked, “Like, you’re going to go back in time aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid it just doesn’t work like that, Yakob and Miss Carlyle are most diligent in ensuring that any knowledge I have of the future is not used to change the past.” Jonas pinched his brow before gently massaging it.

“In hindsight, it’s now glaringly obvious why.”

“So?” Lorcán retorted, “Go back, don’t play by their rules. You can stop all of this from happening.”

“My dear boy,” Jonas replied sympathetically, “I wish I could spare you this pain, but I am not a god nor will I play one. Things are already set in motion which cannot be undone.”

As he spoke, his hand brushed against the pocket of his blazer.

“Speaking of, I need to give you this.” Reaching out, Jonas deposited a small object into the palm of Lorcán’s hand.

“Consider it a belated eighteenth birthday gift. I know it’ll serve you well”

The object was warm to the touch, obsidian in colour and seemingly pulsed as Lorcán moved his thumb over its near frictionless surface. It would have appeared as stone if it wasn't vaguely metallic.

“What is this?”

Jonas suddenly clutched a hand to his chest, his entire going out of focus for a split moment.

“It has been wonderful to catch up, my boy, but I’m afraid this is my stop.”

“Jonas!” Lorcán yelled but he was gone. _{“Wait…”} He added meekly before sitting back down in the room alone again. Looking at the strange object in his hand, Lorcán turned it over once more before pocketing it. He sat there for a moment, taking in everything that had just happened before jumping to his feet.

Aurora!

Lorcán must have been gone far longer than he told Aurora he would be. She’d probably be wondering where he was, or worse assume he had fallen down the stairs and hurt himself.

Again.

^{__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

Flying out the door of the Canis Dormitories, Lorcán practically tripped down the stairs before running face-first into another male of similar height. Bouncing off the chest of the other individual, Lorcán tripped backwards before firmly landing on the ground with a familiar dull thud.

“Ow,” He muttered aloud before looking up and seeing the familiar face looking down at him. “Oh, my bad, Dad.”

Aiden Roth extended a hand towards his son, helping Lorcán to his feet.

“I’m glad I ran into you, though admittedly, I was looking for Rory.”

“He wasn’t upstairs, so I imagine bro’s already headed for the Plateau.”

“I’ll fire him an email later then,” Aiden replied before setting his keen eyes on his son, “How are you doing, y’know with everything from this morning? I wish I could have warned you but it seems it was sprung even on O’Neil. We only found out moments before the ceremony.”

“I spoke with Jonas.” Lorcán watched his father’s expression as he continued to speak. “Just now, upstairs.”

“I see,” Aiden spoke softly, choosing his next words carefully, “He always considered you a grandson, I’m not surprised he’d choose to visit you.”

“So you knew about the like, time-slipping?”

“Your mom and I both knew, I know Kowalski and Summer also were aware of it. They were on damage control though in hindsight-”

“You’re realizing how flawed that is?” Lorcán’s voice had a steely edge as he responded, “Jonas said the same thing.” He kicked a stray piece of gravel across the paved walkway.

“Is no one worried that Kowalski is still out there then, using Jonas’ abilities to evade capture?”

“I’d be lying if I said the thought hasn’t crossed my mind.” Aiden stated solemnly as the pair began walking in the direction of the Myotis dorm. “But Kowalski was at least limited in that he could only learn abilities he understood. Not even Jonas fully comprehended how his abilities worked. Jonas wasn’t even entirely sure he was a Hyperhuman at times. It’s unlikely that Kowalski had been able to unlock the ability to mimic Jonas’ non-linear existence.”

Silence hung between the two Roths before Aiden spoke up again.

“I don’t want this hanging over you and ruining your senior year, Jim is already meeting with the Foundation to sort out graduating degrees. Take some enjoyment from seeing Jonas again, remember he sought you out to spend what precious time he had in this moment with you.”

“Thanks, I’ll uh, try to do that.”

“Now, then,” Aiden raised an eyebrow at Lorcán, “Shouldn’t you be getting to the plateau?”

“Just picking up ‘Rora first,” Lorcán beamed motioning towards the Myotis dormitories they had stopped in front of. Aiden clapped a hand down on his son’s shoulder turning to see the familiar redheaded girl waiting for him.

“Then I won’t salt your game any further.” Aiden responded, nodding to Aurora as he waved.

“My fault he’s late, won’t happen again.” He called, winking at Lorcán before going his own way.

Watching his dad walk away, Lorcán reached into his pocket, his hand bumping up against the strange object before it pulsed from his touch. Shaking his head, he adjusted the backpack slung over his own shoulder before running up to Aurora.

“Hey, lady dude, sorry that took so long, we should probably hustle.” He smiled, “But I think we should still take the scenic route, I can carry that bag for you if you want?”

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

am i too late for class?

@spicykvnt

Unfortunately yes, would have loved to have you but we don't have any spots open at this time.

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

“That went better than expected.”

The words hung in the air, a smug tone behind them as the pair of women exited from O’Neil’s office before walking towards the rear of the Administrative building. Maya’s face was covered in a triumphant smile but Teresa Torres wasn’t sharing the same sentiment.

“We’ve but won a battle, Maya.” Torres scolded, “There are plenty more to win before the war is over.” She motioned with her chin towards a door. Opening the door, Maya secured the empty room before placing her hand against the wall. Reaching out with her powers, she erected a sound proof barrier around the room before nodding towards Torres.

Lifting her phone to the side of her head, Torres waited for the voice on the other end to speak first.

“Speak.”

“Pacific Royal folded the minute their certifications were gone to the primary programs. We have permission to bring more of our people onto the island. I would suggest sending a pair of Arms in addition to the Foot.”

“Then everything is as I have foreseen it. Is there anything else you need?” The voice of Nakamura Yoshi asked from the otherside of the phone.

“Can you spare the Fist?” Torres asked. There was a pause on the other side of the line. The steady sounds of inhales and exhales before the click of a tongue as her answer came.

“I will make it so.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: The Southern Plateau - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

Welcome Home #1.057: A Terrible Idea

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: A Pacific Royal Welcome

The pair of Minotaurs emblazoned with the Blackjack emblem were waiting to be unloaded. Laden in the beds of the pair of trucks were tents and coolers, both essential parts of the annual excursion to the Southern Plateau.

The automatically erecting tents the students were accustomed to didn’t require a lot of effort and even included cots within them. Some students struggled with the weight, but the tent itself did the work once they were placed and the lever pulled. The tents were the same issue as those used by H.E.L.P.’s field agents, capable of surviving anything short of a nuclear blast. They were even climate-controlled, which was probably for the best considering that Blackjack had both extremes covered between the likes of Calliope and Lorcán.

Looking out over the center field, Tad surveyed the construction site where this year’s Homecoming Trial was to be built. Generally, the Trial was only run by freshmen who needed to be placed in a House, but often the students who aided in its construction were rewarded with the first run through. Considering there were a handful of his team members whose Trials were interrupted by Hyperion, Tad was sure they’d relish the opportunity to put together the course.

Beside Blackjack’s campsite was the one belonging to Team 78 or Firebird. A smaller team than Blackjack, they were overseen by Tad’s fiancé, Jessica Friend.

“Jess!” Tad waved to his wife-to-be, “Hey, I haven’t seen you all day!”

Greeting with a small peck on the lips, Jess smiled up at Tad.

“Oh well, I knew we both had early mornings so I wanted to get a jump on my day and you looked so peaceful, I didn’t want to wake you on my way out.” She looked around him at the campsite that had yet to be constructed.

“Ah,” She mused knowingly, “I see Blackjack is being Blackjack again.”

“They’ll get here in their own time.” Tad replied with a smile of his own, “They always do and they’ll be bringing the party with them. I’m sure by now at least half of them have some cockeyed plot to save the school from the scary Foundation.”

“Always main character energy with that lot,” Jess laughed as she pointed to a tent situated on the midpoint between the two campsites. “I’ve gone ahead and set out our tent, you should be able to keep watch on your rabble from there.”

She turned, her hand guiding Tad’s line of sight back to the construction site.

“And Robert was looking for you earlier, wanted to start picking your brain about where your crew would be best used. Said I wasn’t as familiar with their abilities, but that they’d be a handful no matter what.”

“Way to set expectations, dear.” Tad muttered with mock hurt. “I’ll go see what Robert needs, if you happen to see any of Blackjack, could you ask them to start setting up. Maybe Banjo will be more receptive to you.”

“Shut up, Tad, yer mother was a bloody ‘amster and yer father smelt o’ elderberries.” Jess retorted, doing her best attempt at the younger student’s accident. “Honestly, I don’t know how you put up with it, I probably would have put in for a transfer by now.”

“I have you,” Tad cooed, “That’s how.”

“Shut up, Tad.” Jess laughed as Tad turned to walk towards the Trial site.

“Robert!” Tad called running up to the indicated figure. Robert was a behemoth of a man, probably one of the few on campus taller than Blackjack’s own Katja. Two small horns protruded from his forehead while pointed ears accented the lower canines that extended from his bottom jaw past his upper lip. Braided jet black hair hung down to his waist while a jagged scar stretched over one of his brilliant bright green eyes nearly down to his lips and a neatly trimmed stubble beard. Depending on the light, his dark skin often took on a greenish hue.

Impressively strong, Robert was an engineering graduate student who had been leading the Trail Construction for the last two years. It was almost humorous to see Robert in a dress shirt tightly wrapped across his barrel of a chest, the top three buttons left open to allow him some movement in the rolled sleeves. The muscles in his legs may as well have made his slacks into yoga pants as next to nothing as left to the imagination.

“Thaddeus Finch.” Robert replied, his baritone rumbling out over the plateau. “Just the man I was looking for.” He replied with a hearty laugh and a pat on the back that nearly sent Tad face first into the dirt beneath him.

“Well you and maybe that Katja,” He added with a wink and elbow that again threatened to send Tad flying. “I don’t suppose your valkyrie is around.”

“Not yet.” Tad replied apologetically with a weak smile. “Jess said you wanted to go over a few things.”

“Yeah, you have twelve on Blackjack right?” Robert asked.

“That’s right, though after today’s big news, I’m not sure that’ll be the case. Some of them might have gone back to their dorms to pack.”

“Eh,” Robert chuckled lightly, “H.E.L.P. always comes out on top, I’m not too worried yet. It’s just politics.”

“Says the guy with an accredited degree.” Tad replied a bit too coldly. Robert raised an eyebrow, taking his hand off the almost comically small tablet before gesturing towards himself.

“It’s not like I was going to find a job outside this island, Thaddeus.”

“Uh, yeah I’ll have to concede there,” Tad replied, his voice trailing off as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Your team, then?”

“Right-o, yeah we have twelve. Barnes, Baxter, Cahors, de Léon, Galahad, Hisamatsu, Kruger, Mitchell, Penada, Roth, Tyler and a Banjo.”

“You have a banjo?” Robert asked.

“We have the Banjo.”

“If you insist.” Robert replied, “It’s not that remarkable of an instrument, personally, I am more of a fan of the sitar.”

“No, the Banjo who stood up to Hyperion. He’s a student.”

“I am not familiar with this student.”

“Troublemaker, pushes the rules as far as he can, kind of a rabble-rouser and all-around pain in the ass.”

“Thaddeus,” Robert replied before placing a heavy hand on Tad’s shoulder. “You’re describing a teenager.”

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Tad re-composed himself.

“Barnes has wings and can fly. Baxter has enhanced optical capabilities. Cahors, honestly I’m not sure, but her abilities are seemingly quite destructive. Her file has a lot of red in the ledger. There’s de Léon, she’s a cryokinetic while Galahad can multiply so he’s basically a one man workforce of a fabrication machine. Hisamatsu has arachnid physiology, web-spinning and the like. You’re already familiar with Kruger-”

“Not as much as I’d like to be, you should introduce us.”

“Ignoring that.” Tad responded, “Mitchell can teleport, Penada saps powers, Roth manipulates heat to a variety of effects, Tyler copies powers and Banjo can augment his physical state to become stronger.”

“Send Kruger and this Banjo to work on the foundation. I could use Barnes and Mitchell for supply runs. Get Roth on the structural, along with Cahors and send Tyler with them in case he can use his abilities to copy either of them to expedite the process. I could use Galahad to fill a couple of positions. Put Baxter, de Léon and Hisamatsu on the interior theatrics.”

“That just leaves Penada,” Tad replied.

“Put her with the three inside. They’ll need to come up with some kind of theme.”

“When I did it back in 2015, it was themed around surviving a robot taking over the world. ‘Era of Epitome’ or something.”

“That-” Robert looked Tad dead in the eyes. “-Is terrible. Do not let them do anything like that.”

Wraith's Little Workshop of Horrors

A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S
A B I L I T I E S, L I M I T A T I O N S, & W E A K N E S S E S

^{________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{H Y P E R H U M A N A B I L I T Y || T B D
__PRIMARY CLASSIFICATION || TBD
__SECONDARY CLASSIFICATION || TBD
__POWER SCALE || TBD
__THREAT CLASSIFICATION || TBD}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus at mi mi. In imperdiet porta dolor, at fermentum nulla commodo eu. Suspendisse volutpat et ex tempor suscipit. Nullam tincidunt at nunc vel auctor. Donec venenatis, nisl nec fringilla varius, massa quam porttitor turpis, sed bibendum purus sem id risus. Nullam scelerisque lectus eget diam gravida malesuada. Maecenas consectetur est ac sollicitudin congue. Maecenas interdum erat dignissim lectus sodales, nec ultrices neque egestas. Integer convallis lacus at consequat volutpat.

_{L I M I T A T I O N S || T B D}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus at mi mi. In imperdiet porta dolor, at fermentum nulla commodo eu. Suspendisse volutpat et ex tempor suscipit. Nullam tincidunt at nunc vel auctor. Donec venenatis, nisl nec fringilla varius, massa quam porttitor turpis, sed bibendum purus sem id risus. Nullam scelerisque lectus eget diam gravida malesuada. Maecenas consectetur est ac sollicitudin congue. Maecenas interdum erat dignissim lectus sodales, nec ultrices neque egestas. Integer convallis lacus at consequat volutpat.

_{W E A K N E S S E S || T B D}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus at mi mi. In imperdiet porta dolor, at fermentum nulla commodo eu. Suspendisse volutpat et ex tempor suscipit. Nullam tincidunt at nunc vel auctor. Donec venenatis, nisl nec fringilla varius, massa quam porttitor turpis, sed bibendum purus sem id risus. Nullam scelerisque lectus eget diam gravida malesuada. Maecenas consectetur est ac sollicitudin congue. Maecenas interdum erat dignissim lectus sodales, nec ultrices neque egestas. Integer convallis lacus at consequat volutpat.

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

_{“Aurora!”}

“Aurora!” Lorcán called again through the darkness as moved his burning hand slowly across the horizon. An impromptu torch, he had created a ball of fire around his hand to cut through the night having been in too much of a panic to secure a proper flashlight. Continuing forward, he could hear the waves of the ocean now, as he stumbled closer to the beach. Sand began to mingle with his toes and pad the sole of his flip-flops.

It had to have been another nightmare, Aurora didn’t go missing in the middle of the night for no reason. The island might have been the safest place in the entire world for Hyperhumans, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t without its dangers. There was still wildlife on the island and while Aurora definitely had the best ability for a quick exit, Lorcán wasn’t a fan of her going through the forest during the witching hours.

Beside him, Rothschild kept pace, the dog’s keen noise touching the ground every couple of paces and adjusting their course. Lorcán didn’t know whether Aurora had run or teleported, but whichever, there seemed to be enough of a scent for Rothschild to track her still.

“Aurora, it’s me, dude!” Lorcán yelled towards the open ocean. “It’s just Lorcán, well Lorcán and Rothschild. We want to make sure you’re all good lady dude!”

Turning slowly, the light of the fire suddenly refracted off of copper-toned hair as Lorcán spotted a familiar shape sitting down the beach with her knees tucked to her chest. Slowing down to a walk, Lorcán sat down beside Aurora. The girl was shivering, her arms tightly wrapped around her chest, a hoodie thrown quickly over pajamas. Closing his eyes for a second, Lorcán concentrated, feeling the ambient HZEs around them as he slowly created a bubble of warmth, watching Aurora’s body language relax as the chill of the night was erased.

“Hey,” He started, placing a warm arm around her, “Just breathe, and when you’re ready, I’m here to listen.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Mess Hall - Pacific Royal Campus}

Welcome Home #1.052: Not Myself Today

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): @Rockette - Amma Cahors^[Flashback], @Melissa - Aurora Mitchell}

Previously: Trapped

Bursting out of the stadium, Lorcán stripped off his blazer before breaking open several buttons on his shirt, frantically doing anything he could to breathe freely. Pacing back and forth along the grass behind the stadium, he began to slap his right thumb against his belt by his hip. Rotating his forearm at the elbow as he began to find a rhythm. The fingers on his left hand began to tap on an invisible fretboard while Lorcán tried to center himself. Finding his rhythm, the melody soon followed and Lorcán found himself humming an old song from his Dad’s music collection.

♫ She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak ♫

This wasn’t like him, he wasn’t the one to get upset. Everyone looked to Lorcán to be the one to bring the vibe. He was chill, happy, content. But each and every one of those feelings was fleeting at the moment. Never before had he felt so overwhelmed. The blood pounded in his ears, his chest tightened and his hands became unsteady, shaking off beat.

♫ I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks ♫

Looking towards the treeline of the forest that bordered the campus, Lorcán had every impulse to run.

♫ I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap ♫

Jim approached the group, beside him was a slim, raven-haired girl who to Lorcán appeared to be covered head to toe in tattoos. He smiled, looking towards his right arm and picturing how it might look with tattoos of his own.

“Listen up y’all, we’ve got a live one here. I’d like you all to meet our new transfer, Amma Cahors. She’s a little late for the Trials this year, so we’ve gone ahead and did our own evaluation and Amma will be joining House Gulo.” Jim explained to the gathered Team Blackjack.

“She brings our numbers back up to a solid twelve, so make sure y’all give her not only a warm Pacific Royal welcome, but also some of that Blackjack charm.” He paused, turning towards Banjo.

“And I do mean, charm.”

As the team collectively issued their welcomes, Lorcán hung back, watching Amma. He had seen tattoos before, but never so many. It was absolutely entrancing watching the way she carried herself. Most new students had a timid composure, closed off but while Amma was guarded, she held her chin high. Like an empress walking among the common folk.

“Dude,” Lorcán smiled, approaching Amma as the rest returned to their previous activities. “Your tats are totally rad, did they hurt?”

Amma lifted her icy blue eyes towards Lorcán. He felt a slight tingle run down his spine as she looked not at him, but through him. It was as though she was evaluating Lorcán, surveying him for any sign of a threat before responding.

"Did they hurt?" She laughs. "What do you think? Of course they hurt, every-" She steps closer.

"Single."

Amma drops her voice in pitch.

"One."

Her face was hovering close enough to Lorcán now that their noses were practically touching. The spiced aroma of the forest after a fresh rainfall danced and teased Lorcán’s olfactory sense. It was distinctly different from the sweet florals he was accustomed to from Aurora.

“Dude,” Lorcán spoke, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “You’re like, totally intense.”

He held her gaze, not moving before asking another question.

“But, did you like the pain?” A playful smirk danced in the corner of his mouth.

Surprise flickers there in her depths of blue - sparkling.

A challenge.

"Of course I did. It's how one feels alive."

♫ I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black ♫

“Lorcán,”

A hand touched his shoulder bringing Lorcán out of the memory before it suddenly recoiled at the temperature of his skin. He quickly turned towards the source of the hand, his eyes going wide as he realized it was Aurora. Grabbing her hand, Lorcán gave it a gentle squeeze before turning it over and inspecting for burns.

“Dude, I’m sorry, if I had known you were behind me-”

“Hey, hey, breathe, talk to me.”

“I-” He started, “I don’t even know where my head is at dude, I just can’t help but feel it’s no coincidence that Amma was so spot on last night. I don’t like feelin’ trapped, that ain’t my vibe, y’know. I thought we had one more year and then we were out, free to pursue our lives.” He took a breath, still holding Aurora’s hand, not realizing just how comforting he found it before now.

“Don’t get me wrong, working for H.E.L.P. and on an Albatross would be sweet, sick even but like, if the Foundation takes the school, how much longer until the Foundation takes over H.E.L.P. entirely and wipes it out.”

Lorcán gave Aurora’s hand a quick squeeze before releasing it.

“I’m glad I didn’t hurt you, I don’t think I could have forgiven myself if I had.” He added solemnly.

“I just hate the idea that we’re all being used as pawns in someone else’s game. I know to most people Jonas is a villain, but I knew the real dude and he was like the grandpa I never had. Neither of my ‘rents’ parents wanted anything to do with them, let alone me. Jonas always had time for me, even when, or if he had been Hyperion along the way.” Lorcán crinkled his nose, taking a moment to swallow before continuing.

“Five years ago, everything went crazy. The worst part is, I don’t hate him for what he was trying to accomplish, I hate him for leaving us in the state we are now-”

He looked back towards the stadium before speaking again.

“Vulnerable.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Lorcán looked into Aurora’s eyes, her concern and kindness bringing a smile back to his face.

“Sometimes, I hate my abilities, dude. I feel like they’re just meant for destruction and harm. But your abilities just seem so… freeing. Anytime you want to be somewhere else, you can be there. You’re as free as the sea.”

He mused, looking beyond Aurora.

“Gone, in an instant.” He tone softened before reaching out and brushing a strand of Aurora’s hair behind her ear.

“Yet you’re probably the best constant in my life. You’re always here when I need you, lady dude.” He smiled.

Wrapping his arms around here, Lorcán hugged Aurora tightly, his body becoming just a little bit warmer as he did before he released her.

“Thanks for checking on me, I guess I really did just need to talk.”

“Roth!” A male voice yelled as a blonde haired teen emerged around the corner wearing a Canis Blazer. Behind him was a younger brown-haired girl wearing the standard P.R.C.U. crest.

“I saw you beeline out of the ceremony, I assume you’re taking the news pretty hard,” The male stated, before waving to Aurora.

“Ah, glad you got to him first, Aurora,” He added with a small smile before turning to the girl behind him, “Have you had a chance to meet my sister, Ripley yet?”

“You’r-” Ripley stuttered suddenly looking Aurora up and down. “You’re gorgeous, Lorcán never said- OW! Cass!” She shrieked as the male gave her a quick jab in the ribs. Across from his cousins’ Lorcán’s cheeks had flushed almost as red as Aurora’s hair.

“Don’t you have to get back to the administrative building? Reunite with your team?” Cassander teased, mussing Ripley’s hair.

“Hey!” She protested, “Don’t you three have to get your butts to the plateau and build the trial thing?”

“She does have a point,” Cass conceded with a small smile, “I’m going to catch up with Firebird and I’ll see you two with the rest of Blackjack at the construction site. Don’t hesitate to join us for s’mores later! We can talk more then” He called back before shooing Ripley off and running towards the familiar faces belonging to Alyssa Townsend, RJ Scott and Lucille Calder.

“I guess they have a point, dude.” Lorcán reluctantly stated, “Do you want to ‘port us there, or shall we take the scenic route?”

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

“My office, ten minutes.” Jim growled towards the two women from the Foundation while he stepped down from the podium. Turning towards Miranda, he spoke again.

“I have a feelin’ I’m going to be tied up, can y’all meet with the House Reps and Faculty to run damage control for the time bein’ and ensure the Trials run as planned?”

“What are you going to do, Jim?” Miranda asked, placing a firm hand on the Chancellor’s arm. Jim smiled broadly before answering.

“Gonna give that Torres woman, a big damn Pacific Royal welcome.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Office of the Chancellor - Pacific Royal Collegiate & University}

Welcome Home #1.048: A Pacific Royal Welcome

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: Unprecedented Whiplash

“I don’t know who y’all think you are, but here we usually have some damn decorum. You had no damn right to hijack my speech. That news was hard enough to deliver, the students didn’t need you usin’em as leverage.” Jim roared, his booming voice echoing about the office and through the walls into the hallway. “And really, we lose our damn accreditation the day that you show up and we’re just supposed to accept that’s what the hell happened. Sorry Ma’am, but that dog don’t hunt.”

Torres opened her mouth to respond. Jim didn’t give her the chance.

“And another thing, I sure as hell don’t like bein’ bullied, I don’t like bein’ damn coerced and I don’t like bein’ extorted-” Pacing behind his desk, Jim suddenly spun on the heel of his boot, placing his Stetson down on the desk.

“But you come for my kids, for the students and you and I are goin’ to have a problem. A big damn problem. You come here, nose up in the air like you already own the joint, but sister, don’t even pretend for a second we ain’t got a dozen of yours already transferred here to get away from you. Hell, most of ‘em are still talkin’ through their trauma even after being here for years. Our dirty laundry might be public, but don’t pretend for a second that your Foundation ain’t rotten at the core.”

“I suggest you refrain from further slander lest this become a legal matter.” Torres cautioned, managing to respond while her composure remained unbothered by Jim’s tone or volume level.

“I’m not one to kiss the ring, hell after that stunt today, I have half a mind to throw y’all off this island, but I know your Foundation has H.E.L.P.’s cajones in a real vice grip. And ain’t no bull out there that wants to be castrated. The Director asked me to play nice and for the time being, you have something I want. At the end of the day, I need my senior class to graduate with their deserved accreditation, so what do I need to do to make that happen while H.E.L.P. fights the real battle.” Taking a seat behind his desk, Jim leaned back in his chair while he waited for the response. Torres’ aid, Miss Almassian stood up, connecting her tablet to the screens in the office before sending the list of proposed changes for all to view.

“Effective immediately, the Foundation requires that Pacific Royal begins terminating the uniform policy, the school houses and the teams. You have too many denominations that effectively provide the same experiences. Students will still dorm together and have classes together. There’s no need to sow division with artificial segregation.” Torres began only for Jim to start shaking his head.

“That’s not a term or an accommodation, that’s a total restructuring of our school. We can remove the uniforms, but the Houses and the Teams are central to the way we run things here. To abolish the House system would be to squash the homecoming trials, the one high note the students have left after that meeting.”

“If you could let Ms. Torres speak, we will hear your suggestions at the end.” Maya snapped at Jim before Torres gently patted her on the arm.

“Throwin’ you off the island is lookin’ real good.” Jim muttered.

“Codenames, aliases and pseudonyms will no longer be prohibited on campus and if a student wished to go by such a name, then a teacher would not be tolerated for referring to them by any previous name. That name was given to them, not chosen. It’s no longer their identity. Freedom of self-expression needs to be nurtured and reinforced.” She continued, unphased by the previous comment.

“We want to see a curriculum enforcing individuality brought in. Members of our faculty will be transported to your campus and will begin teaching courses on individuality, enforcing how Hyperhumans need to find an identity in themselves before venturing out into the world.”

Maya was nodding along enthusiastically with each word that Teresa was saying. Jim had no idea what Torres had done to earn this level of loyalty from Miss Almassian.

“As long as I am on this campus, it needs to operate by the Foundation’s standards. Practical Ability Training will be replaced with sparring to find new potentials for the Foundation Force. Inhibitors and other power limiters will be removed from all students immediately. We will not tolerate pulled punches. There are no punches pulled beyond this island. Why train them for failure?”

Gritting his teeth, Jim took a moment, considering everything that Torres had said while he formulated his response. Tension hung in the air for several minutes before Jim broke the silence.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. Y’all are going to give my graduatin’ students your accreditations and I’m going to allow you to teach your courses. I’m going to get rid of the academic uniforms, dress uniforms and the prohibition on codenames, but the physical training uniforms and other athletic wear will remain, along with the protective suit used during Practical Ability Trainin’ which will also continue. Y’all will be allowed to run your sparrin’ sessions, provided the safety protocols engaged. Limiters will remain; per a case-by-case evaluation with applicable students, but inhibitors will be removed and replaced with limiters. Lastly, the inter-house teams and the house system will stay in place. These systems are too ingrained in our school to simply remove when the semester has already started.”

He leaned forward over his desk, intertwining his mechanical fingers with his biological hand, mirroring an assertive position he had seen Jonas do countless times in his years as Chancellor. Jim lowered his voice to a venomous baritone before adding his final sentiment.

“And if y’all have any problem with it then Nakamura can get his ass to the Great White North and tell me himself.”

“This compromise-” Torres mused, pursing her lips like a person enjoying a delicious meal. “-is acceptable.” She replied, her lips curving into a smugly satisfied smile. “I’ll inform my staff to prepare for transport.”

Standing to leave, Torres paused, before turning back to Jim.

“One other thing,” Torres began, “In a show of good faith, your senior dance, I’d like it to be done our way.” She explained.

“A themed dance. You don’t have the uniforms anymore to fall back on, so I think it’d be a good show of faith to let your students express themselves.”

Letting out a resigned sigh, Jim nodded before speaking.

“I do, thankfully, know just the people to put on it.”

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

^{| Tuesday, September 5th, 2028
| 0500 hrs}

Waves crashed against the sand as the lone figure ran up and down the beach. Steam rose off his bare back while sweat threatened to cause Lorcán’s earbuds to slide out of his ear canals. The faint din of a heavy bass track topped with squealing guitars and a mournful ballad could be faintly heard coming from the headphones. Glimpses of flames licking the night’s sky while a pair of cold blue eyes stared at him flickered faintly in his mind’s eye as Lorcán pushed himself for another sprint down the sandy terrain.

As the song finished, Lorcán paused for a breather, while looking out over the crashing waves. A proud member of the ‘Dawn Patrol’, he was out here every morning until the temperature dropped too low for even him to surf. Though the winter brought its own fun in the form of snowboarding, the island had little in the way of good hills. His parents had taken him to Whistler a couple of years back and while snowboarding and surfing weren’t a one-for-one translation, it had still been a lot of fun.

Looking towards the sky, Lorcán watched the sun fight to peek over the horizon, crimson light casting an eerie glow across the Pacific while dark clouds moved in overhead. Gone was the summer sun of yesterday, replaced by the ominous storm front that threatened to downpour over the island at any second. But the storm wasn’t about to get him down, not after last night. The memory of Aurora asleep on his shoulder had been enough to keep Lorcán far too ecstatic for a restful sleep of his own. But something else had happened that sent shivers down his spine.

In the fire, someone’s abilities had intertwined with Lorcán’s own. A primal, destructive force that first fought against his manipulation of the heat. They tangled and fought for dominance, one unstoppable and all-consuming, the other immovable and uncontainable. Continuing to struggle against one another before eventually, the two indomitable energies found a way to coexist, mating together and breaking down the wood as the fire flared with a surge of raw power emitting a wave back over Lorcán that curled his toes.

The wind suddenly howled, interrupting the memory while whipping what loose sand there was into the air before carrying it off to sea, the tall grass dotting the outer edge of the beach flailed about in a dance of submission to the primordial force. Lorcán was immediately brought back to the present, spotting the enticing whitecaps that appeared on the tossing waves and elicited a smile on his face. Putting away his earbuds, Lorcán looked around before shrugging and stripping out his sweat-drenched physical training uniform. The morning breeze coming in over the ocean wicked away the beading sweat that hung over every inch of his body.

It was always refreshing against his bare skin.

Not that Lorcán had any intention of ‘hanging eleven’, at least not so close to his last demerit for being caught surfing in the buff, but his physical training uniform did not afford him the freedom of a good pair of board shorts let alone being nude. Thus, despite enjoying the cool breeze, Lorcán opted not to start Canis in a deficit of House points this semester and after folding away his workout clothes, pulled his shorts from his bag. Stepping into the familiar pineapple-covered blue board shorts on, Lorcán stowed his phone and headphones into the saddlebag before grabbing his board from the holder hanging off the side of his motorcycle.

The motorcycle had been a sixteenth birthday gift from his Dad. A vintage scrambler that Lorcán had spent most of that summer fixing up and converting to a bobber. After countless hours of pleading with a tech over on the Alpha Base, he managed to secure the engine off of a wrecked Harpy to perform an engine swap making the vintage motorcycle capable of running off a battery or even his own abilities. Adding an electronic kick start and emulated muffler sound to keep the bike feeling ‘authentic’ and Lorcán was off to the races. He still hadn't yet convinced Aurora to join him for a ride.

Dropping the board in the water, Lorcán kept his eyes on the horizon while paddling out towards the epic swells. This was the time of day he most looked forward to. Offshore winds, deep groundswells; the surf was always best in the morning especially here on Dundas Island. Despite the dark skies, it was still in prime condition to catch some peeling green waves.

The surf was just what Lorcán needed to clear his head. The highlight of last night was of course Aurora falling asleep on his shoulder, but Lorcán couldn’t help but feel underwhelming compared to the other members of Blackjack. So many of them had such firm plans, Calli was going to start not only a family but a civil moment, Haven had her plans all laid out, while Gil had never been shy about his. Katja had multiple ambitions to pursue beyond the island.

Even Banjo of all people knew exactly what he was going to do after graduation.

But despite all the positivity, Lorcán couldn’t help but shake Amma’s words from his head. Those pale blue eyes, staring through the fire, it was as though of all them there, she had been speaking directly to him. Unlike Aurora’s there was no smile behind them, there was power with no hesitation. Lorcán had felt like a deer before a wolf.

The world outside of this perfect little bubble is cruel and it is dark and it is afraid,

Standing up on his board, Lorcán began to chase a wave, struggling to find his center and balance on his board. The board slid under his feet, prompting him to curl his toes around the edge, trying to relocate it underneath him. Amma’s voice continued to play in his head, taunting Lorcán with fears he’d been trying to bury. Fears that were first awakened by Hyperion so few years ago.

Afraid of you.

The wolf lunged, downing the deer. Lorcán found himself hesitating, the words reverberating over and over in his head. The air around him superheated suddenly, a crack of lightning illuminating the swell in a bright flash. He faltered, the distinct squeak of skin sliding on fiberglass cut through the din of the crashing waves as Lorcán went over, into the side of the swell. Gasping for air before hitting the surface.

And then the wave crashed over him.

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Mess Hall - Pacific Royal Campus}

Welcome Home #1.042: Trapped

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): @Melissa - Aurora Mitchell, @Roman - Gil Galahad, @webboysurf - Rory Tyler}

Previously: Shoot for the Stars

^{| 0800 hrs}

Spotting the others already gathering outside of the Mess Hall, Lorcán ran forward silently before coming to a sudden stop between Gil and Rory. Swinging both of his arms back, hands fully extended and open palmed, a loud ‘SLAP’ interrupted the ongoing conversation as Lorcán made contact with his friends’ behinds. Gil in particular jumped, startled by the sudden hard slap to his rear only to turn to see a smug Lorcán cracking out an energy drink from his bag.

“Hopefully, you dudes don’t have to sit down too soon, but man, bros, you missed out on some legen-lactose heavy’-dary swells this mornin’.” Lorcán leaned toward Rory and Gil, his hair still wet from his morning surf and hastily groomed. The telltale tropical aroma of Lorcán’s board wax could be smelled coming from the slicked hair. His bangs however refused to be tamed as the wavy hair hung over his forehead.

“I am totally going to get you both out on a board before we graduate.” He stated while flashing a typical trademarked Lorcán smile. Realizing his shirt was hanging over his belt, Lorcán attempted to tuck it into the waistline of his fitted slacks. Struggling to get it right, he opted instead to loosen his belt, the buckle flying open and causing his pants to drop to his knees in front of the assembled team. A quick flash showed everyone in the nearby vicinity of the Mess Hall that Lorcán’s boxers were as red as his House dress shirt while he tucked it in and re-fastened his pants.

Several gasps could be heard when his pants fell.

“C’mon dudes, nothing you haven’t seen before,” Lorcán added before pulling his blazer on and promptly pushing the sleeves up to his elbows.

“Alright Blackjack, looks like everyone is accounted for. Any stragglers can catch up, you all know the drill by now.”

Tad interrupted any further conversation, pushing for the Team to make their way over to the stadium for the opening ceremonies. As far as the ceremony went, it was a fairly standard affair, nothing that Lorcán hadn’t seen seven times prior. The only twist was that this was the year they would get to partake in creating the trial for the freshmen.

He sat on the edge of his seat, excited to be dismissed. Then Jim’s face fell and Lorcán’s outlook on the upcoming year suddenly changed.

“Given the current societal climate, circumstances beyond our control have conspired to invalidate our accreditations. To be straight with y’all, Pacific Royal has recently lost its accreditations for our degree programs in the engineering, law and medical fields. Students currently completing those will graduate with a degree not recognized for career certifications.”

Do you really think any of that is going to happen. Do you think they'll just simply let you go.

Amma’s words from last night echoed again in Lorcán’s head as Jim continued to speak. The sparks of anger started to ignite inside of his chest. He wanted to graduate, he wanted to leave the island and everything the raven-haired girl had said last night was coming true.

His hand curled into the seat beneath him, barely registering his own father, lighting the torch as he did every year. Lorcán couldn’t handle sitting in the stadium any longer. Everyone around him suddenly felt so close. He felt trapped.

Why hadn’t his father warned him this was coming, the sting of what felt like betrayal turned Lorcán’s cheeks red. He felt a lump forming in his throat and knew he had to move.

“I think I need some air.” He muttered to Aurora while standing. Shuffling past the rest of the team, he hesitated before moving past Amma, his mouth opening, before deciding against it as he tripped into the aisle and ran out of the stadium.

His home had become a prison sentence.

Commencement: A Pacific Royal Collegiate & University RP

^{| Zayas Island - The Former Black Site}

A hush fell over the gathered group of black-robed individuals as the last few stragglers entered the abandoned prison on Zayas Island. The H.E.L.P. Black Site had fallen into disuse following the Alexandria Foundation’s acquisition of its former inmates. Very few resources were spent to maintain it and over the past year, security patrols had become essentially non-existent allowing some new inhabitants to move in.

If you stopped a random student on campus and asked them to name off the Pacific Royal houses, they would likely give you an answer consisting of eight distinct names; Alces, Canis, Gulo, Lutra, Lynx, Myotis, Strigidae and Ursus. But there were those on campus who knew of a ninth house, a house founded in secret that had an ideology separate from the school’s equalitarian beliefs. Founded by the Children of Hyperion, House Orcinus continued to operate and flourish undiscovered even after Hyperion’s defeat four years ago.

In Hyperion’s stead, House Orcinus was led by the individual known as Hyperion’s Voice or simply the Harbinger. The Harbinger had led the cult-like sect for the last four years and thus far managed to evade the detection of the school’s faculty leading many among the House to speculate that the Harbinger themselves was a member of Pacific Royal’s staff.

Looming over the assembled House Orcinus, the Harbinger’s eyes narrowed from behind the mask that obscured their face beneath the oversized hood and robes.

“Interlopers have come to P.R.C.U.” They stated, addressing the equally robed and masked attendees.

“I cannot stress enough how each of you must exercise extreme caution in attending these meetings and whispering of House Orcinus outside these walls. That said,” The Harbinger paused, smiling beneath their mask.

“I do believe the Alexandria Foundation's goals align more with our own. Yes, I am not oblivious to the fact they are currently running operations against our brethren across the globe. But, they are simply placating the powers at be, I know the Foundation valued Hyperhuman strength. In your masks-” The Harbinger stated, referring to the students’ everyday lives.

“Befriend the Foundation, infiltrate them from within and we shall use our strength for ourselves. We are House Orcinus, we are the punishers of H.E.L.P.’s broken oath to Hyperhuman kind.”

^{________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}

_{Location: Pacific Royal Collegiate & University - Dundas Islands, Pacific Ocean}

Welcome Home #1.041: Unprecedented Whiplash

^{_{____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________}}

_{Interaction(s): None}

Previously: The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same

All across campus, the trumpet sounded rousing the students to a new day and a new semester. Done were the casual days of summer as the campus grounds became filled with uniform-clad students carrying out their community contributions before moving to the Mess Hall for breakfast with each task completed.

The Mess Hall was abuzz with excitement and chatter as the students who opted not to dine privately within their dorms, reunited with classmates from their team and house alike while meeting the new students who had spent the last few nights in the Administrative building’s temporary rooming.

The masses moved across campus, though numbers were notably diminished compared to previous years as more students had graduated in the past few years than new enrollments had come in. Still, several hundred students were attending Pacific Royal and all were moving unanimously towards the same location.

As they had in previous years, Team Blackjack had been instructed to meet their faculty representative, Thaddeus ‘Tad’ Finch outside the Mess Hall before formally moving to the Chimera’s Lair together.

One by one, each member of the team arrived, with the last member being no surprise to the others due to their history of being perpetually tardy. Steeling his expression as several remarks arose from the team’s peanut gallery, Tad beckoned the team to follow him as they made the short journey from the Mess Hall over to the stadium.

“Alright Blackjack, looks like everyone is accounted for. Any stragglers can catch up, you all know the drill by now.”

Formerly the student advisor to the Team, both Tad and Blackjack had outgrown that role. As a senior class, they too were now expected to act as Student Advisors to younger teams while they themselves no longer required a person in said role. Tad instead now operated as their faculty representative, advocating on their behalf in academic disputes. Tad’s mentor and now School Chancellor, Jim O’Neil had built a repertoire with the team over the last couple of years and had both the patience and a method for dealing with some of the Blackjack students that Tad himself was yet to master.

The Chimera’s Lair was alive with elevated energy as students new and old piled into the stadium seats. Coming from their breakfast, whether from the mess hall or their dorms, the students were eager to kick off the semester and nothing did that quite as effectively as the Opening Ceremonies.

Finding their assigned seats, Tad motioned for Blackjack to file in quickly as the team rearranged themselves for optimum seating. Couples pairing up while the inseparable friends likewise made sure they were seated beside one another. It was almost predictable at this point how Blackjack would arrange themselves, even with new additions like Amma, Gil and Harper among the team.

"ATTENTION!" A loud voice came from the podium centred on the stage in the middle of the field below them. To the right side of the stage, a small orchestra was situated, while in the center of the stage was a large bronze statue of a Chimera. All along the back of the stage were the eight house emblems, emblazoned on large banners while chairs waited for the House Faculty Representatives. The empty chairs were quickly filled by the school’s faculty who emerged from behind the stage. Flanked by two bagpipe players, the orchestra's conductor stood up signalling for the orchestra to join in as the opening notes swelled, filling the stadium.

"All rise for the national anthem!"

As the anthem finished, the band continued to play while several students emerged from behind the stage parading flags from all around the world, acknowledging that not everyone gathered here was Canadian.

With the anthems done, the crowd took their seats again while Winter Caspian, the Director of H.E.L.P. itself took the stage. Addressing the crowd before her she thanked each one of the students for their efforts in continuing to challenge the world's opinion on Hyperhumans for the better and expressing her excitement in working with the most recent graduates. Ending her piece, Winter turned toward the faculty behind her.

“It’s my pleasure now to welcome to the stage your newly elected Chancellor, a man instrumental in defeating Hyperion and a dear personal friend, James O’Neil!”

Applause could be heard across the stadium, though far less enthusiastic as in previous years. James ‘Jim’ O’Neil had been a teacher and student faculty representative for years prior to his appointment to Chancellor, though arguably the man was most famous for partaking in the defeat of Hyperion and his predecessor.

“I have to say, I didn’t reckon I’d ever be the one addressing y’all from this podium when I first came to Pacific Royal,” He paused to flash a wry grin, “Let’s just say a few years ago.” Subtle laughter could be heard rippling across the bleachers surrounding the green the podium stood on.

“I was just a boy when I first stepped off that ferry. Soon after, I became a member of both Team 21 and House Lutra.” Cheers came from the students dotting the stadium bearing the blue coat of arms as Blackjack added a couple hoots of their own.

“It was here on this island that I found not only a family, but also a home. This island, this school and its campus, it is my hope that each of you find it just as welcoming now as I did then. I hope that you look at the people beside you, the people you share a dorm with and you see not only friends, but people who you can rely on and trust indiscriminately. Sure, families aren’t perfect, you might not see eye to eye with each of them; I know some of you probably have a member on your team that’s a bit different from everyone else, or someone who intentionally stir the pot.” Jim seemed to pause for a second, his eyes darting towards Blackjack before continuing.

“With that in mind, I’d like to bring y’alls attention to a special visitor.” He continued motioning to the members of the Alexandria Foundation lingering around the podium.

“As a part of our ongoing efforts to improve the school and do best by each of you, Pacific Royal is looking at collaborating with the Alexandria Foundation. Now, I know we’re used to sending them packing on the Hyperball field.” Jim chuckle, raising a fist as he did so.

“GO CHIMERAS!” He yelled which elicited cheers from the stadium.

“But, we’re looking for your cooperation in making Ms. Torres and her fellow Foundation members feel as welcome as you would a new student. The Foundation will be auditing classes and learning how we do things at Pacific Royal. Be sure to sure them why our Chimeras are the best.” Jim explained, taking a pause while shuffling a couple cards in front of himself. He cleared his throat before continuing.

“Sadly, this isn’t all pomp and circumstance, I do have to rain on this parade.” He could feel the weight of the announcement in his chest while he continued to speak. Beside Jim, Miranda steeled her expression, but he could hear her telepathically reassuring him.

In all his years, he had never seen Jonas; or was it Kowalski, make an announcement that could have had such a profound impact on the student body.

“Given the current societal climate, circumstances beyond our control have conspired to invalidate our accreditations. To be straight with y’all, Pacific Royal has recently lost its accreditations for our degree programs in the engineering, law and medical fields. Students currently completing those will graduate with a degree not recognized for career certifications.” He took a moment to gather his words, already hearing the murmurs moving through the student body like wildfire.

“Rest assured, we are working around the clock to get approval for credit transfer to several distinguished universities in both Canada and the United States. We do not want your hard work to go to waste. The Bureau has agreed to pay tuition for any student who chooses to transfer along with helping relocate students to their new campus. I understand going to another school is not ideal-”

Watching as Jim delivered the news to the gathered student body, the Alexandria Foundation’s representative suddenly had a shift in body language. Her stoic demeanour turned smug as she gestured for her aid to step closer. Obliging Torres’ request, Miss Almassian stepped forward and extended a finger in front of her boss’ mouth as Torres spoke over Jim.

"Provided Pacific Royal and its Bureau are amenable to our conditional terms, the Alexandria Foundation has authorized me to extend our certifications to the students of the affected programs." Torres' voice echoed across the stadium, its volume boosted by Maya’s abilities. A surprised look crossed the Chancellor’s face who was just as caught off guard by the interruption as the rest of the student body. Shock turned to anger as Jim looked to Miranda, who subtly shook her head while Torres continued to speak.

“As many of you are already aware, the Alexandria Foundation is here this year to audit Pacific Royal and to bring it up to our standards. We’re interested in acquiring this school and helping it move past that, what would you call it Mr. O’Neil? Little faux-pas with your previous Chancellor.” The corners of Torres’ mouth twitched upwards momentarily before she continued.

“The Foundation holds the students of Pacific Royal in very high regard and we want to ensure each of you is allowed to succeed this year. So far, we’ve been met with resistance from your administration, but we’re looking for your support. So please, tell your Team Advisor, your Faculty Representatives, anyone who will lend you an ear that you want a new path forward for P.R.C.U.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Jim caught Miranda’s gaze.

Tact, Jim. Remember we want to remain diplomatic.

Miranda’s warning echoed inside of O’Neil’s head as he adjusted the microphone in front of himself.

“Continuous improvement, that’s exactly why we have allowed the Foundation here this year.” Jim interrupted, taking back his platform while raising his hands to clap. “Students, let's give a good ol’ Pacific Royal Welcome to Ms. Torres and her aid, Miss Almassian.”

The tension between O’Neil and Torres was plainly visible to everyone in the stadium, but Jim wasn’t one to back down.

"...And as our returning students know, today signals the start of the Homecoming Trials. For our incoming students, y’all will get the full Pacific Royal experience as you compete in your assigned teams for the weekend for the honour of being the Homecoming Royals. These trials will also determine your house placement, so be true to yourselves and give them your all."

There was little applause as Jim turned to accept a torch that was handed to him to signify the start of the semester. Behind him, the House Canis faculty member; Aiden Roth, suddenly ignited the flame with his heat vision. With the torch lit, the Chancellor turned towards the bronze Chimera, lighting a flame in each mouth of the statue.

"Let the 2028 Homecoming Trials commence!" Jim shouted into the eerily quiet stadium "All incoming students! You are to return to the Intake House before proceeding to the Southern Plateau. New students should proceed in their assigned teams. Graduating class, you are to report to the Plateau immediately for further instruction. Once there, assemble your campsite and make your way to the construction site for assignment."