A short time later the shape of Palmyra appears in the window of the control room. In the evening light the city looks like a disk-shaped web of light that runs up along a coast and peninsula, a mass of civilization huddled against the darkness. The lights grow bigger and brighter as the ship descends toward the ground below, the sound of radio chatter filling the control room as docking instructions are given and followed. The vessel comes to a halt with a shudder as it touches down, and after a few minutes of hurried activity a small escort is formed to lead the five girls off the ship and to the dock below. 

From there they travel by vehicle, a too-bulky military car that ferries them through the narrow, hilly streets of the city. Outside a maze of fluorescent lit streets pass by, dull white lighting occasionally broken up by flickering LEDs or neon signage written in mixtures of English, Russian, and Japanese. Most buildings they pass are utilitarian in architecture, a far cry from Nicole’s beloved Hasta at night and something more suited to a military city. 

It’s at one of those buildings that they make their first stop, a medical facility somewhere on the northern end of the city. It’s clearly more than a civilian outfit, judging by the guards. It doesn’t take long to check each of the girls in, and the tests begin shortly after. 

For Nicole, Astrelle, and Dana, the work only takes about an hour. They’re run through a machine or two, blood is taken, and there’s a brief physical examination. Each is deemed clear of any harmful effects from their earlier exposure, with further tests to come in the following days as part of their Ars Magi preparations. 

For Penny and Vanna things are a bit more extensive. The former gets her shoulder set and a proper cast for her arm, as well as some well-deserved pain medication. Vanna’s cheek is stitched up and bandaged, and once the Duodecim girl returns to consciousness she too is released back into the care of her escorts.

It’s another short drive that follows afterward, through now empty streets and passed several quiet districts before they arrive at their final destination:

[hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/4jhIwHp.jpg[/img]
[b]𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚊 𝙻𝚞𝚡 𝙰𝚌𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚢
𝙳𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚜[/b]
[b]𝙰𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚕 𝟷𝟶𝚝𝚑, 𝟷𝟷𝟽 𝙰𝚅[/b]
[b]𝟷:𝟶𝟽 𝙰𝙼[/b]
[i]Dana Noel, Penny Grenoble, Nicole Cognoscenti, Diana Khay Vanna, Astrelle Lennox[/i]
[hr]
[/center]

There’s not much time to admire the sprawling stonework of Nova Lux and its sister academy, nor examine the carefully cultivated gardens or exquisitely chiseled monuments half-hidden in the darkness. At this hour--past midnight now--the lights are dimmed and the stone pathways that run through the buildings are empty of any presence save the five girls and their small escort.

A brief check-in is made with one of the faculty members, a woman who looks sorely unhappy to be out this late. She takes the lead once the girls gather their luggage, guiding them to the dormitories and through the ornate wooden doors that lead inside. A dimly lit, blue-carpeted hallway awaits them, and after a short trip to the second floor each is given a key to their respective rooms. Orientation is to begin at 8 AM tomorrow, and the woman recommends getting what rest they can in the meantime. 

Of those rooms they’ll be settling in, some are shared. Penny and Dana shortly find that they’ll be sharing a dorm, as do Astrelle and Nicole. Once they pick their door out of the long line of similar looking portals they find a reasonably spacious room awaits them. Reasonably by the standards of anyone but Astrelle and Vanna, anyway. Two twin beds sit on opposite ends of the room, two small desks, two small closets, a kitchenette and bathroom. Windows look down upon the dark courtyard below, blue curtains at their fringes. Mostly everything is either blue or gold, the standard Imperium colors.

Vanna finds her room much the same, with one addition: There’s already another person there.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/k90ORc3.png[/img]

As soon as the white-haired girl opens the door she’s blasted by sharp chords of music, strings of noise that echo out into the hallway. The girl inside is very much not asleep despite the hour, lying in the center of the room with palms pressed to the floor, body rising and falling in steady rhythm. “Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two.” She exhales a breath with each push-up, pausing to crane her head upward when she notices her visitor.

“Oh--hey!” She pauses halfway through her motions. “They said you’d show up eventually.” 

She finishes her exercise before hopping to her feet. The girl is tall, red-haired, built lean but athletic. She wears a basic workout ensemble with hair tied back in a ponytail, and a thin sheen of sweat covers the hand that she extends out to Vanna. “I’m Cara.” 

She considers briefly before asking: “Is your face okay?”