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Returning to Estermere was something that delighted Penelope McGareth. After a few years, there was something familiar about the place, a familiarity that she believed would last throughout her next few years at the academy. Graduating to the officer programme felt a little funny, as her friends would be continuing their soldier programme years and would end up graduating [i]before[/i] her; even though she was going to be getting better and further training than them, it still felt almost like she was being held back. By the time she graduates from the officer programme, she knew that her old classmates would already have a year of experience in the field. The training compensated for that, she knew - she figured that even with them being more field experienced than her she would still have the knowledge to stay up to par with them. It was just funny to think about.

Penny could tell who was in the school before and who was new. The teenager had very little with her to bring into the academy, for as she had been there before her belongings still resided inside, though had most likely been moved from her dormitory bunks to where the officers stayed, a place she did not have the privilege of visiting many times before. Those who had their belongings with them, who carried them along, who had visitors going with them to wish their final goodbyes (most likely their patrons and sponsors as much as their family) were those that were new. She wondered how a lot of them would adapt to the culture of Estermere, especially those that were nobles. It felt oddly good to stare at nobles as equals, rather than having to look up at them. Perhaps that was an evil thought - she could see a noble trying to impose his position on her and her response being a simple shrug - but it was an idle thought that kept her mind at ease. She knew that the new few years were going to be challenging for everyone. But as Penny looked at those in the same carriage as she, and at those in the other carriages, she wondered if some of them even knew how to handle a dagger, let alone a sword. Then again, Penny had to remind herself that she had entered the academy with the swordplay training of a goat. But she had excelled, and Penny believed that they could, too. It just might take longer for others. 

Once she had arrived at the main gate, Penny made her way over to the gate guards. She didn't have any large possessions on her, just a backpack with temporary belongings before she could get her hands on her original belongings that had been moved over. Approaching the guards, she eyed them up temporarily. She would have been one of them in the future, had she not been selected to be an officer. Penny leaves her belongings with them, openly respectful and privately thankful for their presence. She knew that it could be boring just standing there for hours with nothing happening, especially at Estermere, where nothing bad was bound to happen. Her prior training had seen to that part of her knowledge.

Due to her previous placement within the academy, Penny did not need a guide to the dining room. The teenager simply made her way there on her own, as naturally as walking in her home. She took a look around, before nodding her head and seating herself. She was proud of her journey so far, and she was prepared to keep going.