Epsilon gave the guy a wide, toothy grin that seemed to stretch just a bit too far. [color=#F87217]“Well, practice makes perfect, kiddo. You’ll be a natural social butterfly before you even know it.”[/color] She gave him a playful wink. A sort of glint came to her eye at the whole little “change shape” question, but she hid it well enough, shrugging and taking another hit. At this rate, she mused, she’d have to see if there were any good drugstores up in the ol’ academy. She really should have checked the place out before coming here- she had the wings to do it- but curiosity had sort of won out in that whole department.

Plus she was feeling kinda lazy. If someone was going to go and pick them up anyway, she saw no point in using up good energy.

[color=#F87217]“Sure I can,”[/color] Epsilon answered eventually. [color=#F87217]“Wouldn’t mind showing off for you, if you want. Might not like what you see much, though, kid. Not as pretty on the inside as I am on the out.”[/color] She chuckled to herself, pocketing the spare, untaken cigarette. [color=#F87217]“And that’d be great, kiddo. We could match.”[/color] She obediently stood still as Irvine worked his magic, her only real movement being her nose as she sniffled a little. 

[color=#F87217]“Drop it whenever you think it’s good. You seem like a pretty trustworthy kid. You pick when it’s ready.”[/color] Pozuzy’s introduction successfully dragged Epsilon’s attention back to the little creature. [color=#F87217]“Sin Demon, eh?”[/color] The words were barely audible, muttered under her breath. While she wasn’t really a “sin demon”, she and the little hellspawn were still kin of sorts. Small world. Instead of voicing her thoughts, however, she grinned. [color=#F87217]“You can call me Epsilon.”[/color] 

The appearance of the demonic shadow bunny and its master did little to make her bat an eye. One of the ladies suddenly picking up a whole song and dance straight out of a kid’s movie did legitimately get a laugh out of her, before she turned back to Irvine, wisps of smoke dancing from her lips. [color=#F87217]“You said you didn’t know what you were, kid?”[/color] Epsilon mulled over this for a second. [color=#F87217]“Ever thought about getting one of those old blood tests done? Or having a vamp take a good whiff of you? Real good at figuring someone out.”[/color] 

[@akirashadow][@The One][@PharaohAtem]

[hr]

Even if Isaiah’s smile was a bit...toothy, to say the least, it was infectious, and Dawn found herself returning it with one of her own. [color=#848482]“Thank you,”[/color] she said. [color=#848482]“It’s, ah, not exactly the flashiest trick out there, but I like to think it has its uses.”[/color] As odd as it was- especially given the particular...circumstances surrounding the other- there was almost a sort of wide-eyed awe in which Isaiah seemed to be taking the world. It wasn’t an all-encompassing naivety, nor a total innocence, but the sort of wonder you’d see in an adventurer hiking into worlds unknown. Of a tourist mingling with the locals, seeing the sights and devouring them with a passionate hunger. Given his explanations for taking the trip to the academy, it didn’t seem too far-fetched a comparison. It was almost...refreshing to watch, in its own way. 

Dawn gave him a concerned glance, not quite feeling the sort of needling sensation that he was experiencing, but aware of it al the same. Perhaps there would be a pool or lake of some kind he could visit from time to time, at the Academy. She smiled as Celeste gave an explanation of her powers, folding her hands onto her skirt as she heard the pegasus out.

[color=#848482]“That, ah, certainly sounds incredible. Very powerful.”[/color] She reached up, adjusting her hat. There was something almost curious about that- not just Celeste’s offhand explanation of her powers, but those of the rest of the students. In the corners of her eyes Dawn could see others demonstrating their skills and talents, among simply just [i]existing[/i] as beings that simply radiated power. It made her wonder if there would be separate classes, of sorts. Before she could go too far into her thoughts, one of the women began dancing about, singing a song from...Charlotte’s Web, of all things.

Dawn stiffened.

[color=#848482]“That’s...not her. In control of her body, that is. She’s being possessed.”[/color] Dawn’s brows furrowed in visible concern. Possession was nothing to be laughed at. It was something disturbingly invasive- clawing inside one of the most private, most precious things that a person could ever have. A violation of all their secrets, only to steal every ounce of control away. It was possible that it had been done with the permission of the woman, but the mind in charge seemed to view it almost as a pleasant surprise.

It made her insides churn. 

[color=#848482]“This...it isn’t right.”[/color]

[@Prosaic][@The One]