[indent][b][u]University of Poseidonis
Orientation Hall[/u][/b][/indent]

Orin stepped up onto the stage overlooking the orientation hall. He smiled as he saw the student body milling about and finding their seats. He recognized many of the faces in attendance today, but there were many more that were unfamiliar to him. New students, ones from the surface. People eager to learn and expand their horizons. It was a beautiful sight to him. Slipping on the in-ear microphone, Orin stepped to the front of the stage and held up a hand. Immediately, the Atlantean student body quieted down, sinking into their seats and paying attention to the king. The foreign students took a moment longer, obviously unsure of the customs and traditions, but Orin forgave them that. This was meant to be a learning experience after all. Once everyone had found a seat, Orin smiled and began to speak.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”Well… I must say, I’m very pleased with the turnout this year!”[/color] He said, dropping his hand and taking a moment to let the few stragglers begin to pay attention.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”Many of you know me, but I am aware that there is a significant portion of you who have likely never seen me before, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Orin. I am the ruler of Atlantis, the guardian of the seas, and the king of my people. Some of you may know me as Aquaman.”[/color] She said, flashing a patented grin as he began to pace the stage.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”It is my genuine honor to welcome you all here, both my native students and our transfers. I will keep this brief, as I know many of you had long trips to get here. I simply want to extend a warm welcome, not just from myself, but from the united people of Atlantis.”[/color] That was important. He had to make sure they all knew, Atlantis was not at war with itself. Not anymore. And with any luck, it never would be again.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”For our new students, who come here from far away, I want to extend a special welcome. I’m sure you’ve read about our programs, our culture, our history. But it is another thing entirely to experience it. And believe me, I want you to experience it. This is not simply a school for the gifted. It is a haven for the oppressed of the world. A repository of knowledge. I want this place to be a light to mankind, a new Library of Alexandria.”[/color] That had stung, reading about the burning of the great Library. Of course, many of those texts had copies here in the city, but that had gone a long way to explain why the world at large was so set back.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”Let me be clear with all of you. Some of your classmates, roommates, teachers, and staff may be… Different than you might expect. Metahumans, Mages, geniuses, and all other types of gifted individuals have a home here. I want you to know we do not tolerate any kind of discrimination. If you take issue with someone, please ensure it is not simply due to their genetics. But I digress, this is a mission statement, not a syllabus reading.”[/color] Orin said with a soft smile before taking a deep breath to categorize his thoughts.

[color=LightSeaGreen]”I believe in the goodness of all mankind. That everyone has a spark inside of them. Everyone wants to save the world. Some may be more capable of that than others, but everybody [i]can[/i] save the world. However, and I need you all to listen closely to me; the world looks different to each person. It may be bigger or smaller. Sometimes saving your world can mean saving only one person. And sometimes, that one person may be yourself. This course will be difficult for many of you. Especially those from the surface. The culture shock, the language barriers, the new knowledge and information, it may be altogether too much. If it is… save yourself. Take a break. There is no shame in needing some space. Your teachers and staff will be looking out for you. We are all on your side.”[/color]

Orin paused again, smiling kindly at the gathered student body. Time to wrap it up, and give the nice incentive. [color=LightSeaGreen]”And trust me, I will be keeping an eye on your progress as well, all of you. In fact, I have decided that once per week, I will choose a selection of exemplary students to come to my home and spend a day out of the classrooms, doing whatever they may wish with the Royal amenities. Think of it as a bit of a reward. Well, that’s all I have to say on the matter, except… Good luck, all of you. I look forward to seeing you save the world.”[/color]

Karen quickly joined the crowd in applauding for her friend, Orin. They had fought together for more than five years at this point, and she was happy to see that he now felt that Atlantis was stable enough to allow foreign students to freely enter his city.

Still, even though he said that the Atlantean people were united, she had to wonder just how true that statement really was. After such a bitter civil war, there was bound to be resentment lurking beneath the surface—no pun intended. 

Virgil went along with the applause only a short distance from Karen. He still had yet to find Mal, but he was sure that he’d be okay for at least a little bit on his own. It wasn’t like Mal was helpless or anything, but it seemed to Virgil that he didn’t like all of the popularity that his family brought him. 

He had never seen King Orin in the flesh before, and seeing a real life Justice League member right there in front of him was something to behold. He remembered seeing another League member many years ago, passing by on some important mission, but the memory was distant and vague to Virgil. 

Still, despite all of this Virgil couldn’t help but glance around every so often. Maybe it was just his experience with most of his old classmates being Bang Babies and having it out for people, but this sort of crowd wasn’t exactly something that Virgil enjoyed. It was too thick, too many people in the event he needed to spring into action.

He sighed. That was behind him now. Well, not completely. He didn’t have to worry about being the only superhero on the block, or even within a hundred feet anymore. Surely if something were to break out, they’d all be able to handle it safely and efficiently.

Bjorn had managed to get a seat near the front of the hall, and had watched Orin’s whole speech in enraptured silence. His elbows often found themselves jabbed into the sides of the students seated next to him as he pointed up at the stage. They would get angry at first, but Bjorn’s pure excitement was infectious.

Well, that and a number of the ladies in the room found themselves paying equal attention to him as to the King.

Of course, he was a foreigner, so he did seem a little taken aback by the overrepresentation of Americans in the building, but that was to be expected, it was [i]America[/i] after all. No matter the case, Bjorn’s aura immediately brought a subtle rowdiness to the crowd around him, not a riotous kind, but a more heavily spirited kind, as if they were in the middle of a pep rally.

Virgil, feeling like this was going really well, decided to cheer just a little more for the King of Atlantis. Why not? He clearly put in all of this effort to make everything work, why not appreciate it as much one could? Everyone around him was either dressed to the nines for their first ever day in Atlantis, or bumming around in comfortable clothes to get by on the long trip down. VIrgil was in that second group, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a light button-up t-shirt in his signature purple. A little flare from his costume to bleed into normal life made him feel just a little more super.

As the orientation drew to a close and the King departed, the students began to rise from their seats in droves. Many were still rather shaken by the trip here, it would seem, and so they were eager to find their dorms.

Karen, though she hadn’t taken the submarine, was one of them—she needed to lay down. Her human body still didn’t quite feel right to her. She wanted to fly. She hated how long it took her to get everywhere. All the little random itches and aches she had grown used to doing without.

Pushing her way through the crowds, she glanced at her phone to check the app she’d downloaded—a map of the campus. 

Virgil really didn’t want to follow people around the entire time he was there. So far he only knew of Bjorn, Malcolm, and Karen, and with two of them gone and Virgil not wanting to be weird, he set off on his own.

Which didn’t last very long.

He was quick to realize that he had no idea where he was going. He wanted to move into his dorms as quick as possible to meet whoever he’d be sharing the room with, but he had no idea how to get there. Atlantis was completely new and strange to him, and he had little to go on.

He saw Karen again, walking with some amount of purpose. She seemed to know where she was going, and that was good enough for him. Walking up to her, he cleared his throat and tapped her on the shoulder somewhat nervously. 

[color=bc8dbf]“Hey, I’m sorry I’m bothering you again, but do you know where the dorms are? They didn’t exactly hand out maps at orientation. All I have is the building name and the room number.”[/color] He hated asking for help, especially when he had already talked to her before and didn’t really have much of a purpose to again other than she was one of the three people he interacted with down here. 

Karen glanced up from her phone, offering him a tired smile. [color=orchid]”Oh, yes. There’s an app—”[/color] 

[color=gray]”I know that!”[/color] Bjorn said. He quickly crossed the crowd without an issue, not even being bumped once. [color=gray]”What’s your building? They are all in a row along the main road, I am in Lycus Hall, that’s the… east one.”[/color]

Bjorn approached quickly, but he stopped in his tracks as soon as he spotted Karen. Immediately his face went from an excited smile to a… something, it was hard to identify, but it was certainly a demonstration of attraction.

[color=gray]”Oh… hello,”[/color] he said, clearly nervous. His posture went from a shoulders-back confidence to an almost afraid slouch. [color=gray]”Who… what’s your name? What course are you taking, what… er never… nevermind.”[/color]

Virgil almost yelped in surprise as Bjorn’s sudden appearance, but wasn’t ungrateful for the information. [color=bc8dbf]”Yeah, I’m in… Lycus. Hey, looks like we’re dormmates, crazy, huh?”[/color] He fished out the papers with his information on them and took a look at them. He was about to introduce his female friend to Bjorn, but the realization came that she might not want people giving out her name left and right, especially to people as excitable as Bjorn was. Virgil knew a few people somewhat similar to Bjorn back in Dakota, and most of them never ended up all that good.

He patted Bjorn on the shoulder and set his hand back down. [color=bc8dbf]“I know she’s pretty, man, don’t need to get worked up.”[/color] Virgil flashed him a smile, walking on to where everyone else seemed to be going.

Karen stared at Bjorn, clearly surprised by his sudden outburst. Slowly raising her hand, she waved awkwardly at the excitable foreigner. It seemed like he didn’t know how to talk to girls, but that was understandable—she didn’t much know how to talk to boys, either. [color=orchid]”Erm, my name’s Karen. It’s nice to meet you…”[/color]

Yup, sure enough, he had forgotten to give her his name. Oh well, that could happen to anybody, right? 

Ophelia Angelo-Blythe left the orientation hall in a daze. She was here, in Atlantis, and her outfit matched fucking perfectly. Her Louis Vuitton red leather ankle [url=https://us.louisvuitton.com/images/is/image/lv/1/PP_VP_M/louis-vuitton-silhouette-ankle-boot-shoes--AFSQ1HTC12_PM2_Front%20view.jpg?wid=648&hei=648]boots[/url] complimented the gold in the architecture, and in the accents of her Dolce and Gabbana Fall/Winter 2013 Mini [url=https://assets.vogue.com/photos/55c6511008298d8be21adaf3/master/pass/_DOL0319.1366x2048.JPG]dress[/url] decorated with a byzantine mosaic pattern. Everything felt regal here. And speaking of regality that King Orin had her too distracted to really pay attention to what he was saying. Did he mention the dorm rooms at all? She must of missed it while she’d been paying too much attention to the pants he’d been wearing. She saw a group of what she assumed to be fellow students up ahead of her in the hall, and quickened her pace to catch up to them, her heels making audibly clicking sounds on the coral floors. 

[color=fff79a]”Hello? Pardon me!”[/color] She called as she caught up to them. Two boys and a pretty girl, who’d just introduced herself as Karen, walked together. Looking at them now, they were all rather attractive.  [color=fff79a]”Sorry to bother you all, but I was just going to ask if you knew which way the dorms were?”[/color] She fiddled with a curl as she spoke, twisting it around her finger.

[color=gray]”Hm?”[/color] Bjorn looked over at the new arrival. His expression remained unchanged and he quickly looked back towards Karen for a moment. Then he almost annoyedly turned to look at her. [color=gray]”The dorms are in a line by the street, it is like co-ed, girls only, and the boys’.”[/color]

He didn’t even introduce himself before he returned to looking at Karen, well, looking sometimes, every other second he’d look at his feet so as not to stare.

[color=bc8dbf]”I’m Virgil Hawkins,”[/color] Virgil introduced himself and almost introduced both Bjorn and Karen as well. This new beauty was just so much in his eyes he almost lost focus. Like with Bjorn himself, Virgil didn’t want to give out new names to people if they themselves didn’t want to be exposed. [color=bc8dbf]“We’re all headed down to the dorms, are you in Lycus Hall too?”[/color] He sincerely hoped that she was, or at least nearby.

Karen blinked at Virgil. Did he not understand how dorms worked? Well, that was fine—it was their first time here. There was bound to be stuff he knew that she didn’t as well. [color=orchid]”She wouldn’t be, the dorms are gender segregated.”[/color]

She then turned to the girl, offering her a hand. [color=orchid]”I’m Karen, it’s nice to meet you.”[/color] 

The first boy to speak to Ophelia put her off the group immediately. She wasn’t used to being treated like a bother at all. Initially, she had found him attractive, but now… 

Then the pretty black boy spoke introduced himself, and was much more polite. Ophelia decided she liked him instantly. [color=fff79a]“It’s wonderful to meet you, Virgil.” she said with a charming smile.[/color] 

And as it turns out, the rude one was wrong anyway. The pretty girl she’d heard introduce herself before as Karen introduced herself again. Ophelia’s smile widened.[color=fff79a]“Oh, I had heard you introduce yourself as I walked over. That’s a beautiful name, and I have to say, very fitting for such a beautiful girl.”[/color]  She took Karen’s hand, offering a firm but gentle grip. 

[color=fff79a]“My name is Ophelia Simone Helvetica Angelo-Blythe. And I do believe I’m headed that direction as well. I hope you all won’t mind if I tag along?”[/color] She tossed her curls over her shoulder and gave them a winning grin. 

Ophelia would begin to hear something. Something nobody else could hear, a staticy screaming noise. It would slowly grow louder and louder, until it became an utter assault on the senses. At the same time, she’d begin to see hallucinations, subtle ones. These all disappeared as soon as she stopped looking at Karen.

[color=gray]”My name is Bjorn, I’m sorry for being rude earlier, I am new to this country and still getting used to everything.”[/color] Bjorn smiled widely once again, his former nervousness having gone away apparently.

Ophelia blinked, putting a hand to her temple as she began to hear a screeching static noise. She turned to Bjorn, [color=fff79a]“Oh, please, don’t apologise, it’s nice to meet you.”[/color] She said politely. Something felt off about him, and his dashing smile didn’t take away the sinking feeling he gave her. [color=fff79a]”Does anyone else… hear something?”[/color]she asked, rubbing her temple.

[color=bc8dbf]“Huh?”[/color] Virgil tilted his head and looked around, unsure about what Ophelia had been talking about. He didn’t hear anything, but that wasn’t to say that she wasn’t just hearing things in the sense of them being auditory hallucinations. [color=bc8dbf]“No, I don’t hear anything. What’s it like?”[/color] It didn’t seem out of the realm of possibilities for someone to be playing a trick on one of the prettiest women around to garner attention. Virgil wouldn’t show off his power like that to everyone, especially if he found anyone else with similar powers.

Karen tilted her head to the side, listening carefully to the ambiance around them. She heard plenty—people talking, the sound of marching students, laughter...but nothing that she would consider out of the ordinary. [color=orchid]”I don’t hear anything that shouldn’t be there; are you feeling alright? What dorm are you in, Ophelia?”[/color] 

[color=fff79a]”It’s probably nothing.”[/color] She said, waving it away with her hand. [color=fff79a]”I was just a little dizzy for a spell. Once we get to the dorms I’m sure I’ll be fine. I’m in the Asterion dorms, room fourteen, I believe.”[/color] 

Karen glanced down at her phone again, quirking a brow. [color=orchid]”Asterion? [i]Really?[/i] That’s where I’m at. I’m also in room fourteen! Looks like we’re roomies! I think we’ve got one more with us, but I haven’t gotten the chance to meet her yet.”[/color]

Virgil happened upon a thought with the revelation that both Karen and Ophelia would be rooming together. [color=bc8dbf]”Hey, Bjorn, what room are you in?”[/color] He asked, not quite out of the blue. Maybe they had the same luck as the girls.

[color=gray]”Oh uh… I’m in room 312… I guess just 12,”[/color] Bjorn said. He hadn’t paid too close attention it seemed, with excitement levels as high as his it made sense that he’d miss things.

[color=bc8dbf]”Crazy!”[/color] Virgil almost laughed, pulling out his own papers once more and pointing at the matching room number. How weird was it that one of the only people he had talked to today was also his roommate. Not even that, but the two girls they were with were also roommates. Weird coincidences. [color=bc8dbf]”Looks like you two aren’t the only ones splitting a room.”[/color] He smiled at the girls, putting in a little more charm to try and keep up with Ophelia. [color=bc8dbf]”I wonder who our third man is… Oh man, I’m gonna lose it if Mal is joining us in the room, right, man?”[/color] He elbowed Bjorn with a smile, laughing internally at how nuts it would be if that was the case.

Karen glanced between them, cupping her chin. She had a strange feeling when she observed this place from the Rock of Eternity, and even after teleporting here in her human form, she could feel something pulling at her through the leylines. [color=orchid]”No...it’s not crazy; it’s magic. I believe someone has cast a spell over the campus—and perhaps the submarine that brought you here—that draws together those who will be sharing a room, and helps them find where they need to go. Rather thoughtful.”[/color]  

Ophelia laughed, sweet and clear like a bell.[color=fff79a]”How serendipitous! Well, now I’m excited. I can’t wait to spend the school year with such lovely people. It seems King Orin has thought of everything, doesn’t it?”[/color] She mused. The static she’d heard but moments ago a thing of the past as the charm of her new school took its place in her mind.

Which was just as well, because a proverbial record scratch was on its way.

[color=orangered]”So, there I was at four in the goddamn morning, ambling through the place like a frickin’ zombie, looking to get myself some goddamn chocolate milk- because [i]what the hell else do you do at four in the morning?[/i] So, damn-near sleepwalking and not paying attention, I round the corner finally look up aaaannnd...”[/color] 

Came a… [i]particularly animated[/i] voice from somewhere nearby, growing clearer and seemingly [i]closer[/i] as it rambled on. Accompanied by the echoing drum of footsteps against the solid coral floor that grew louder and louder as the seconds passed. 

[color=orangered][i]”There’s fucking Karen.”[/i][/color] The voice continued, a note of something approaching… [i]legitimate admiration and/or affection[/i] on it’s tone, even as it’s owner was [i]clearly[/i] building up to a punchline at his subject’s expense. [color=orangered]”Standing there, in her fluffy purple pyjamas and [i]trying and failing[/i] to sing into an ice-cream scoop. [i][b]Loudly.[/b][/i]”[/color]

It was at that exact moment that a sharp-dressed teenager with scarred knuckles and a girl in a cream-coloured sweater wheeled around the corner, completely oblivious to the quartet of other students they were now sharing a corridor with.

[color=orangered]”So there I am, just standing there like a deer in the headlights while she dances about screaming[/color] [color=orchid]’OOOOH, OOOOH, OOOOH, [i][B]BUBBLE POP![/B][/I]’[/color] [color=orangered]until she finally noticed I was there, tripped over her own two feet and [i]somehow[/i] managed to launch the tub of Oreo Ice-cream she’d been scavenging out of about five feet into the air directly above her, where it promptly came down, squishy-side first, onto her pretty little noggin.”[/color]  

As the voice grew louder, a smile was brought to Virgil’s face. Mal must have found someone fun to talk to if he was being that loud. It was fortunate that they were all making friends so quickly, magic or otherwise. 

[color=bc8dbf]“Ay, Mal!”[/color] Virgil shouted and waved him over. [color=bc8dbf]“Bring your friend!”[/color] Virgil for one was excited, ecstatic, almost. This day was going so well after the heartfelt goodbyes with his family, as he was quickly surrounded by friends both old and new. 
Karen’s neck nearly snapped as she whirled around at the sound of Malcolm’s voice, his rather loud and obnoxious recounting of one of her more embarrassing moments from the past. 

Karen nearly snapped her neck as she twisted around at the sound of Malcolm’s voice, his imitation of her voice pulling her lips into a frown. Who the hell was he telling [i]that[/i] story to? And why?

Well, it [i]was[/i] Malcolm. He loved to embarrass her. How could she have ever forgotten? It had been about eight months now since he last trolled her, so she had made the mistake of letting her guard down. Folding her arms, she stared down her childhood friend as he approached. [color=orchid]”Mal, good to see you made it; maybe I should share some stories about you with your new friend there?”[/color]

Mal’s head snapped forward at the duo of familiar voices to his front, [i]almost[/i] looking like someone who’d been taken [i]completely by surprise,[/i] if the momentary bit of shock on his face was anything to go by. Though the slight quirk of his brow spoke otherwise.

If nothing else, years spent in front of the cameras had made the Kasimir ward into one hell of an actor.

[color=orangered]”Oh, uhh... [i]hey Karen![/i]”[/color] The suit-clad teenager started, an uncomfortably embarrassed grin snaking its way onto his scarred face [color=orangered]”I, err… [i]didn’t see you there.[/i][/color]

Now [i]that[/i] was a blatant lie and she’d damn well know it.

...But after their last conversation, The Wizard had earned herself at least [i]this[/i] little ribbing.

[color=orchid]”I’m sure,”[/color] she said, not believing that it would’ve given him more than a moment’s pause if he [i]had[/i] known she was present. [color=orchid]”Well, I’m here now—I kept my promise. You shouldn’t have any complaints, right?”[/color] 

She [i]still[/i] felt really weird, being in this body again. She wanted to go to the gym and work out at some point, just to try and get a feel for moving around as a human again. Sparring with Mal would also probably help with that.

No sooner had the words left her mouth, did Malcolm very abruptly walk right up and pull her into a quick hug.

[color=orangered][i]”None whatsoever.”[/i][/color] He answered, the false-embarrassment on his face melting away into a [i]genuine smile[/i] that stayed in place even as he released her, giving her shoulders a light squeeze as he went. 

Mal [i]was[/i] happy to see Karen again- There wasn’t any denying that, even through his constant ribbing. But that was the mushy-feely kind of stuff the boy kept a lid on in public. 
 
So, quirking that Kasimir brow again in his own distinct fashion, the lad cast a glance over the blonde’s shoulder at the trio behind her, deploying his trademarked wry little grin as he did so.

[color=orangered]”Sooo…. See you’ve met Bjorn and Virg, care to introduce me to your new friend?”[/color] Mal started again, gaze shifting back to Karen with a trickle of humour in his eyes as he cocked his thumb towards the girl in question [color=orangered]”...Or are we just gonna keep staring at each other awkwardly in public?”[/color] 

Karen didn’t mind the embrace, even though she returned it rather awkwardly. She was happy to hug what was essentially her little brother again, it was just a sensation she had very nearly forgotten. Perhaps that had been his point when he contacted her—human contact itself had become something strange for her.

Glancing over her shoulder at Ophelia, Karen smiled. [color=orchid]”This is Ophelia—she’s my roommate, apparently.”[/color]

With a friendly little slap on Karen’s shoulder and a chuckle, Mal walked past his surrogate sister, casually tucking his left hand into his pocket and offering out his right for a shake.

[color=orangered]”Name’s Malcolm. Good ta meet’cha.”[/color]