[center]
[h1][color=f49ac2]Amaris Marivaldi[/color][/h1]
[/center]


[hider=Dorms]
[center]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=LemonChiffon]Minfillia[/color] [@Leslie Hall][/sub]
[/center]

Walking back had proven to be rather pleasant for Amaris, the pair exchanging a few words before continuing the rest of the way in silence. It was far from an awkward silence though, as Amaris had feared it would become; a comfortable pause that allowed the new partnership to grow familiar with the other’s presence. She thought back on Minfillia’s words prior to their departure from the event, mulling them over before she came to the conclusion that they were satisfactory. All Amaris wanted was for Minfillia to be able to choose her own place in a dynamic she had little choice in to begin with, after all, it wasn’t as if Amaris’ treatment of her would differ any regardless of her decision.

Following the path toward the dorms, Amaris kept an eye on the throngs of people travelling around them. She wouldn’t have been surprised if someone, at some point, was willing to attempt a scene, but for the most part it seemed as if everyone was on their best behavior for the evening. Hopefully, that would last. The last thing she wanted to deal with was childish squabbling at school, politically fueled or otherwise. After a while, however, the crowds began thinning as the bulk of student were pushed one way and Amaris was directed in another. Before arriving at the school, she had been ‘assured’ her living quarters would be separate from the rest of the student body. No doubt the complaints of an earlier elite lead to such measures, but she wasn’t about to complain. The distance meant privacy, and that was something of a treasure to Amaris these days.

Approaching the stand alone cul-de-sac, the vampire eyed the mailboxes lining the street one by one, assessing her new neighbors. The house sigil for each family was prominently displayed to assure that no one would mistake it for a common structure. Peeking at the colors, Amaris found herself immediately relieved that her immediate neighbor would not be Count Varis. Unlike the common dorms the nobles were given a lot more space to work with for their accommodations, so it wasn’t as if she would have been in close proximity to the guy, but it was much preferred to have at least another house between hers and his. Her brief moment of relief was short lived, however, as Amaris came to the realization that she had yet to see who the Eve representative was this year. There were a couple of faces that came to mind as possibilities, but there was one in particular that stood out as being the most likely to attend.

[i][color=f49ac2]It can wait until tomorrow.[/color][/i] She thought to herself, approaching the mailbox and producing yet another envelope and a pair of keys to the dorm. Amaris pocketed one of the keys and handed the second one over to her partner before returning her focus to the envelope. As they made their way toward the house, Amaris opened the envelope to reveal two different pages within. The first was a simple welcome and reminder for what time orientation would be the following evening, as well as a subtle warning about the time that was to be spent without the mages. Amaris was fairly practiced and had eaten recently enough that she could allow Minfillia a little more time to adjust before having the ‘discussion’, but she knew realistically that there were others who needed to feed more frequently or on more strict schedules. The note was more for them than anyone else…

Tucking the first page behind the second, Amaris scanned what could only be the class schedule for her and her partner. As classes wouldn’t begin immediately, Amaris put off looking at her own schedule so as to remain unbiased in her interactions during the orientation. Neatly folding the paper back up, she left the notes on the table so that they could be accessed by either occupant at their leisure. Raising her eyes, Amaris noted that Minfillia had already begun dressing down for the morning. The flowers had been removed from her hair and the braids loosened to release the locks they bound, the mage approaching the table to view the schedule Amaris had placed down.

While Minfillia looked over the pages, Amaris set to letting her eyes wander the living space. Not a thing appeared out of place, the quality of the craftsmanship and the thought put into the needs of the occupants were clear in the presentation of the house. A home away from home as some would call it, Amaris could see herself living quite comfortably in such a cozy environment. Hearing a rustle back at the table, Amaris turned to see Minfillia replacing the pages on the table where they had been left.

“[color=LemonChiffon]If there is nothing else, I wish to retire.[/color]” The mage gave a short wave and a soft smile, an expression that was met with an understanding gaze and a dismissive nod from the vampire. Even Amaris had to admit the night’s events had left her rather worn down. Socializing was probably among her least favorite activities, but sometimes there was just no avoiding it. Especially now that she was attending school, the connections made were going to be crucial for the family and for her partner. If a little extra effort was needed to ensure those successes, then Amaris would just have to deal with it.

Now that she was alone, Amaris relaxed her posture with a heavy sigh. Making her way back to her own bedroom, the vampire was pleased to find all of her belongings left exactly where she wanted them. She set to unpacking knowing that she might not have as much free time moving forward. The majority of her belongings came in the form of books and miscellaneous study tools with the remainder filling her closet and vanity to the brim. Handling with care, Amaris set up an easel off to the side in her personal quarters. The frame appeared to have quite a few years on it, though its care assured its stability and longevity since its acquisition. It stood in stark contrast to the brand new brushes and paints she had lined up before it, the new supplies bought specifically for her move to Noila Academy. Blank canvases would have been a hassle to transport so Amaris made a note to acquire some at first opportunity, an undoubtedly easy task knowing the Noila standard.

Trivial things away, Amaris turned her attention back to a particularly odd case. It was more like a trunk than anything else, sturdy sides with handles on either side and a lock on the front to keep the nosey out. What made it stand out was the holes drilled into the walls in several places, just large enough to poke a single finger through but not much else. A smile lit Amaris’ features as she unlocked the box and opened it revealing a glass tank within. Lifting the tank from the trunk with ease, Amaris set it carefully on an iron stand that she had specifically requested for delivery when making her arrangements. As it was set in place, a black and white scaled snake slithered from what could only be described as a miniature palace provided for his leisure. Reaching her arm into the tank, Amaris allowed the creature to wrap up around her arm in greeting. 

“[color=f49ac2]Did you miss me, Getsuga? It’s alright now, no more travelling in the trunk for a while. This is going to be our new home for some time… what do you think?[/color]” Amaris giggled a little as the snake faced her and wiggled his tongue at her. Placing him back in the tank, Amaris was sure to leave the top open in case he wanted to explore the room a bit. She would keep the door to her room closed to as to keep the snake from surprising her partner and any guests, but for the most part he would be allowed free range as he was at home.

As she placed the creature back into his case, the vampire’s eyes lingered on the thick box that served as the tank’s base. Running her free hand under the structure, her fingers brushed against several irregular notches in the smooth surface before she withdrew her hand and stepped back from the structure.

“[color=f49ac2]You get settled in sweetness, I’m heading to bed.[/color]” She said with a smile, retreating to the bed. Changing out of the evening’s clothes, she tossed the shirt and pants into a hamper before hanging the jacket and corset vest neatly in the closet. Finally, Amaris reached up to pull the pins holding her hair in place away, the long dark strands of hair falling freely to brush against her bare skin. A small shiver of relief ran through her body as she massaged out the ache that had begun to form in her scalp, the tension built up from the evening slowly seeping away. Shutting off the lights, Amaris crawled into the luxurious bed with a content sigh before drifting quickly off to sleep.

[/hider]

[hider=Evening]
[center]
[h3]Before Orientation[/h3]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=LemonChiffon]Minfillia[/color][/sub]
[/center]

Amaris allowed herself to wake naturally, having little concern she would be late despite having not set an alarm before falling asleep. When it came to time, Amaris found she had fairly sharp instincts… though whether she listened to them all the time was an entirely different discussion. On this evening, however, Amaris awoke on time feeling refreshed and prepared to see what the academy had to offer.

Stifling a yawn, Amaris sat up in the bed and pushed herself to the edge so that she could stretch the stiffness from her joints. Calmly rising from the bed, Amaris padded over to a bag she had lying next to the closet door and pulled out a cellphone from one of the many pockets. Usually she had little need for such a device, but she figured it would be better to have it than to not. She switched on the device and began fiddling with some of the settings, making sure passcodes were set in place and that the volume was set to vibrate. 

After a few minutes of basic tinkering, Amaris placed the phone down on her bedside table and set to picking out an outfit for the day. It took the vampire nearly ten minutes to decide on an outfit to wear, struggling between showing off her fashion or dressing casually for comfort’s sake. Reaching into the closet, she withdrew two pieces she thought would look well together and set them aside while she set to getting ready.

Having attended the welcome party with her hair bound up, she thought it would be a nice change to wear it down for orientation. Taking a fine-toothed comb to her hair, Amaris worked out any of the tangles that formed while she slept before working to setting the style for the day. Scrunching some product into the dark mass with her hands, Amaris teased her hair into a methodically tasselled look.

While she waited for the hair to set, the vampire took to massaging a small amount of moisturizer into the skin of her face. The cold weather autumn brought was much desired over the oppressive heat that invaded during summer time, but the dry skin that followed such crisp delight was less so. Just the thought alone was enough to annoy the young woman, hence the effort she put into the moisturizer so early in the season. 

With face and hair set to perfection, Amaris turned back to the clothing she laid out on the edge of the bed. She slipped into nude colored undergarments to avoid any tone clashing with the white shirt she had chosen for the day, pulling the tight, three-quarter sleeve over her head and down into place. Amaris carefully untucked her hair from the garment first before straightening out the fabric which hugged her form down to her hips. The skirt she chose was a hi low cut made from several layers of sheer black fabric, the hems forming a neat ruffled look from every direction. It was designed to sit a little higher on her waist with the shirt tucked in, that mixed the natural bounce of material made the skirt the focal point of the outfit over anything else.

From her large selection of shoes, Amaris pulled forth a pair of three inch heels that would set her height at an even six foot. They laced up the front to offset the opaqueness the black, framing the front of her foot up to her ankle where the strings ties in a neat little bow. She was sure to keep her accessories simple, deciding that she would wear just the house crest instead of ornate jewelry. Once she was satisfied with her look, Amaris walked back over to her nightstand and picked her phone up, tucking it into a black clutch purse for safe keeping. 

After tossing a mouse into the tank for Getsuga, Amaris snagged her dorm key and made her exit, closing her bedroom door behind her. As she approached the common living space she could see that Minfillia had already started eating and was focusing on something in front of her on the table. Not wanting to startle the mage, Amaris cleared her throat as she entered the room, a light smile brightening her features.

“[color=f49ac2]Good evening, I hope you slept well?[/color]” She asked, walking around the table to snag a pen and a notepad. Watching Minfillia munch away at the bowl of fruit in front of her, Amaris was reminded that the pair would still have to address the vampire’s own feeding habits at some point. Now didn’t seem like the time, however, so she set to neatly jotting down the number to her personal cellphone before placing it within reach of the mage.

“[color=f49ac2]I’d like you to have my phone number just in case you need to get into contact with me for any reason. Though, I have to admit… I don’t use phones like these very often so if you could keep shorthand for text messages to a minimum I would really appreciate it.[/color]” Amaris felt bad having to lie a little, but it was far less embarrassing to say she was unfamiliar with the technology than it was to say she never had the need to learn text speak. After all, she didn’t exactly have a list of friends to talk to; the opportunity to learn was just never present outside of the occasional mention in a book or movie.

There was still plenty of time before new students had to report for orientation, but a few unanswered questions left from the night before nagged at her. If she were to head out soon, it would give her opportunity to gather useful information regarding her new classmates. Knowing a few of the faces already, the more information held the better.

“[color=f49ac2]I think I’m going to head out early this morning, get a nice walk in before orientation begins. If it’s not too much trouble, I would like to check in with you around lunch though. There are a couple things I would like to go over with you, but that can wait until later.[/color]” She said, replacing the pen and paper exactly where she found it. Heading toward the door, Amaris turned and waved over her shoulder with a bright smile.

“[color=f49ac2]Enjoy your breakfast![/color]” The brunette added before clicking her way merrily out the door. She took a deep breath as she stepped out into the crisp air, eyes closed as she took a moment to revel in the fall weather. A faint scent in the air caught the young woman’s attention, a vaguely familiar smell that drew Amaris toward the mailbox set at the edge of the dorm property.

Reaching inside the box, Amaris withdrew an envelope that had not been present the night before. The paper had been sealed with the sigil of another noble house, though there was little need for Amaris to inspect it to know who had sent it. She assumed the letter had been delivered by Varis’ mage as there was a second, weaker, scent mixing with the first. Rolling her eyes, Amaris flipped the envelope over and cracked open the seal.

[hider=Varis’ Letter]
[i][color=f7976a]To my esteemed contemporaries,

It is with great pleasure that I learned that a member of each house will be attending this year. Since we are all of noble blood, it is only customary for us to follow proper etiquette and meet at least once to make introductions. As such, I humbly invite you to my lodging tomorrow morning at 5:00 am to formally meet and begin strengthening the relationship between us as students.

Sincerely,
Count Varis Sinnenodel[/color][/i]
[/hider]

Somehow, the contents of the letter came as little surprise to Amaris, though she did kick herself internally for having not foreseen such a move. While apprehensive about the idea of spending an evening around the menace, Amaris knew that it was an offer she could not decline so brashly. Not to mention it would be a good chance to meet with the other nobles in attendance, and possibly learn a little more about the families she had little contact with.

[i][color=f49ac2]I suppose that I have no choice then… but I could ask Minfillia if she would like to attend as well. There might be opportunity there for her to network with other mages so it wouldn’t be a complete loss.[/color][/i] That was if Varis was extending the invitation to the mage partners of the nobles as well. She would have to remember to ask him when she spoke with him to confirm her own attendance.

Tucking the letter and her dorm key into the clutch, Amaris set a leisurely pace for herself as she walked down the path.

[hider=Outfit Pic]
[img]https://image.dhgate.com/0x0s/f2-albu-g1-M00-3D-91-rBVaGFaKODiAfa0zAAHR7jCpVzc866.jpg/high-low-tutu-skirts-tulle-high-quality-formal.jpg[/img]
[/hider]


[/hider]

[center]
[h3]Orientation[/h3]
[sub]Interacting with: [color=f7976a]Varis[/color] [@Achronum] and [color=lightblue]Arianna[/color] [@Crusader Lord][/sub]
[/center]

The closer Amaris got to the main part of campus, the larger the crowd grew. She maintained a slight distance between her and the others, choosing to observe them from the outside for as long as space would allow her. Eventually, however, she found herself being corralled in with the rest of the group. At some point, the teachers began filtering the crowd, pulling mages one way while directing the vampires in another.

As if it were nothing short of natural, the vampire students began sorting themselves with the purebloods at the front of the pack and the Embraced students following at some distance behind. She felt bad for the smaller grouping, having taken note of the close eye the staff were keeping on them. It couldn’t be helped though, being so new to the lifestyle could be a big shock and not everyone had the ability to cope with the transformation. She liked to think it was just as much for their benefit as it was everyone else. 

Following behind the headmaster, the new students walked through the campus surrounded by various upperclassman. It was a little difficult not to feel like they were being put on display and paraded around, especially with the nobles mixed in with the front of the crowd. At one point, the headmaster halted the group’s procession to reprimand an upperclassman whose behavior reflected rather poorly on his character. The student’s surname, Sputnik as she gathered, was not one she recognized personally… though it was clear that it was very well known by the staff of the school.

She maintained an unimpressed expression as the student’s eyes scanned the crowd, winking at several students and grinning at others. Eventually his eyes fell on Amaris with a gaze that she could describe as borderline predatory before they drifted onward to another student in a similar manner. Before the man could cause any real problems, however, another upperclassman snuck up behind him and knocked him over the head. The sound of jaded lecture floated after the students as they marched away, the headmaster shooting them warnings to keep their distance from the so-called trouble maker. 

[i][color=f49ac2]Don’t have to tell me twice.[/color][/i] Amaris fought a shiver from running down her spine, the memory of his gaze enough to creep her out.

After a few more minutes of walking, the crowd was directed inside of the building known as Mockingbird Hall. The bulk of the students took seats wherever they could find them, most sticking together in their self created cliques like they had on the walk over. On the other hand, much like their dorm accomodations, the four noble students were led to chairs up front and separate from the rest of the crowd. As if the separate seating was not enough of an indicator, each of the seats were marked with the crest of each of the families. It felt like a bit much, but there was little use in arguing with it. Vampires had a way about them when it came to status quo, she doubted anyone other than perhaps the Embraced would think anything of their treatment.

The speech that ensued was among the most boring she had ever sat through. She struggled to maintain focus, only catching bits and pieces of the lengthy introduction. It was a little disappointing to not hear the academy taking an official stance on the treatment of mages. Amaris had been hoping for something more positive but was unsurprised by the neutral take on the situation. Following the PSA on mage handling, the headmaster went into details on the classes they were to be attending as well as the opportunity to join activities before finally dismissing the student body to mingle about the hall.

Amaris stood from her seat as the staff made their way from the stage and dispersed, the Countess turning just in time to see Varis making his approach. With a bow and a smile, the Count greeted her with all the proper etiquette but none of the sincerity.

“[color=f7976a]It is a pleasure, Countess. We haven’t had the opportunity to meet in recent decades. How are you and Lord Marivaldi doing? Last I heard you were still rather at odds with the man.[/color]” Amaris had to hold back a scoff at his attempts to rile her up. Returning the smile, Amaris lowered her posture into the straight-backed curtsey she was accustomed to giving those she matched in status.

“[color=f49ac2]Count Varis, a pleasure indeed. I can’t say that I know what you’re talking about though. The Lord Marivaldi and I have been on excellent terms. You must have mistaken the grief for conflict, an easy mistake when you are only familiar with one.[/color]” Her smile was light but her violet eyes were ice cold, daggers hidden behind every syllable she spoke.

Nearby movement caught Amaris’ attention, the noble attendee from the house of Eve if the Countess had been paying attention. She knew little about the light haired vampire aside from her name, Arianna Eve, Countess to the once esteemed house of Eve. With the instability among the house rising, the Marivaldi household had taken up a few of the Eve responsibilities, so Amaris had become somewhat familiar with the family… or what was left of it rather. She hadn’t spent nearly enough time in their presence to gain a real opinion of their ideals, but she knew better than to trust a family who could crush their own just to rise in rank. Amaris figured that was another part of why she disliked the Sinnenodel’s so much but that was a thought for another time.

Arianna winked at Amaris on her way by, a move that caught the Marivaldi child by slight surprise. She was sure not to let it show in her expression, but her eyes shifted in color slightly betraying a moment of her embarrassment before she was able to recover them. The Countess watched out of the corner of her eye as Arianna approached the tables to ask a few questions before pulling back once again to allow other students a turn. Locking eyes with the pair, Arianna made her way over to where Amaris and Varis were standing. Appearing every bit as regal as Amaris would expect from someone of their status, Arianna shone as proof that even the most unfortunate of circumstances could produce a fine jewel.

“[color=lightblue]Well well well, it seems a pair of certain someones are associating away from the more common crowd right now~ Fufufu~ And how would each the two of you be doing this fine night? Doing weII, I would hope.[/color]” She said as she made her approach, Amaris turning her body to give Arianna the same curtsey she had given Varis just a bit before.

“[color=f49ac2]Just a bit of catching up, you know how it is.[/color]” Amaris chuckled lightly, though the sound was a bit more strained to the trained ear.

“[color=f49ac2]Oh, and I was just about to ask the Count here if our mage partners were included in the invitations found in our mailboxes. Although, I am rather interested to hear if you will be attending Miss Eve? It can be rather difficult to have a proper chat with so many… prying eyes.[/color]”