[i]Sure are a lot of people here.[/i]

Aurelie La-Victoire-de-la-Reine glanced around at the various students and faculty that had gathered in the hall.

[i]Would have been nice to bring my sword...[/i]

She had nagged every member of staff she could get her hands on for days, but in the end, they had been correct. There was no need for such a large weapon at a social gathering. It was fine, if there was a fight, she could simply fight bare-handed, but that wasn't really the point. It felt like she had forgotten a part of herself, or a piece of clothing. Like her shoes were on the wrong feet.

[i]They weren't, were they? Okay, good.[/i]

She let herself enjoy the music and festivities that had been laid out, glancing for just a moment at their supposedly omnipotent figurehead, leaving the room in a huff. She didn't know much about Hazumi, but she didn't like what she had seen so far. None of the good guys would lose control just like that, would they? No, a hero would have kept their composure...

"Interesting, isn't it?"

With a visible jump, Aura whipped around to face the quiet voice that had not been there a second ago.

"Sorry. Anyway, isn't it? This is everybody who we'll be spending the next parts of our lives with."

Aura put her hand to her chest to feel her racing heart. "[i]Fils de putain[/i] girl, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Sonata Reiko bowed her head in apology. "Sorry. I tried to be quiet so I didn't startle you... I guess it backfired."

"Your [i]politesse[/i] can't hide your smirk, you know."

Reiko bowed in apology again, but didn't address the issue. "Like I was saying though, isn't it easy to stand on the sidelines like us, and pass judgment on your peers and... others? I should be careful, or else I might end up thinking something untoward about someone who I barely know."

Aura scratched her head and turned away. Had the dark-haired girl looked into her head or something? It was uncanny. [i]And creepy...[/i]

"Alright, listen-" she began, but stopped short. As suddenly as she'd shown up, she had vanished. "What a horrible girl," Aura whispered to herself, not entirely sure if she meant it.

--

Reiko had returned to her place along the wall of the room, watching everyone else. [i]That was enough social interaction for today, I think... I'm already tired...[/i] But the night was still young. There were more hours to pass, more people to watch. That was fine, but she was beginning to feel the call of the mist, beckoning her to get away from everyone. Looping voices, calling to her mind, out of synchronization with each other, until it sounded like white noise. The voices echoed until the only thing filling her head was a white shroud, obscuring everything else that passed through.

She took several sips of her drink to clear her head, with limited success. [i]It's going to be a long one, I guess.[/i] When the night was over, she would play her flute until she fell asleep, but it seemed like tonight was to be an exercise in self-control. She faded back into the wall, out of the way of everybody, and continued to busy herself with her drink, and watching all of the gathered people, for they were all incredinly interesting.