[color=gray][INDENT][COLOR=silver][sup][b]| Two Days Ago[/b][/sup][/color]
[INDENT][url=https://open.spotify.com/track/2I6LcIhwBzxf5ZmsogC6uX?si=a09c2b0786c34284][color=white][I]						You know I'm dead set, on making you regret
								You'll hear the thunder, and it'll make you wonder
										Why ya ever tried, cause you're on the wrong side[/i][/color][/url]

The steady pounding of sneakers against the treadmill was drowned out by Alyssa's personal playlist. The track slowed to its end, fading out as Alyssa became immediately aware of her surroundings again. Her heartbeat felt trapped inside her head, as cold beads of sweat ran down her forehead, pooling under her chin before following to her collar. Keen, blue eyes darted back and forth, taking in the various students in the recreational center. She didn't recognize anyone here from Firebird. 

Across the fitness center, one of the attendants was quickly pushing a loaded cart. The wheels rolled along the hard, cement floor, the weight of it making it only increasing the noise as its wheels rumbled beneath the burden. Alyssa suddenly felt her hackles stand on end.

[COLOR=DIMGRAY][i]Thunder echoed in her ears and suddenly she was back on the Southern Plateau. The tent above her ripped away as cold rain and blinding lightning immediately brought Alyssa out of her slumber. It had already been a restless sleep, the first night away from home, an unfamiliar bed, and the steady noise of the rain outside. Adrianna had been trying to do something, a hand outstretched in futility.[/i][/COLOR]

Alyssa briefly returned to her present surroundings only to return to the plateau as across the gym, a weight slipped.

[COLOR=DIMGRAY][i]It slammed against the floor with a loud bang as another flash of lightning blinded her. The thunder should have been deafening but all Alyssa heard was a gunshot. Hyperion's mask turned towards her as he impaled Cassander. Alyssa's lower lip trembled, as tears welled in the corner of her eyes, mixing with the cold rain streaming down her face. She was frozen as Cassander's empty eyes turned towards her, pleading for help. Except it wasn't Cassander at all, the tousled hair was replaced by a neat, manicured haircut and Alyssa realized she was staring at the face of her brother.[/i][/COLOR]

Alyssa flinched, missing a step on the treadmill, before stumbling backward. From the bare leg before the hem of her shorts, Alyssa's biometal activated, rapidly creating a brace to steady her body and prevent her from falling. The jolt was enough to loosen an earbud, which clattered to the floor while Alyssa took several deep breaths while regaining her balance.  

Bending down to pick up the earbud, Alyssa didn't notice the other dark-haired male across from her doing the same until their heads met. Her ability activated again, deflecting the brunt of the impact while a crackle of energy surrounded the male's own head, sparks flew into the air as their heads collided. 

[color=#FF9F36]"Omigosh!"[/color] Alyssa cried, placing a hand on the male's shoulder, [color=#FF9F36]"I am so sorry, that was totally my fault."[/color]

[color=#9F36FF]"No harm done,"[/color] He smiled, standing up before holding out the fallen earbud. [color=#9F36FF]"I think you dropped this."[/color]

[color=#FF9F36]"Yeah, total klutz,"[/color] Alyssa giggled as the male extended a hand.

[color=#9F36FF]"RJ,"[/color] He introduced himself as Alyssa shook his hand. Their abilities reacted again, a small spark appearing as they touched.

[color=#FF9F36]"Alyssa Townsend."[/color] She replied with a smile.[/INDENT][/INDENT][CENTER][COLOR=#F57C1D][sup]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5443066][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1070792705547980842/1103100364221337658/Alyssa_Townsend_Banner.png[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=#E48838][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]The Chimera's Lair[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Collegiate & University[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=#E48838][b]First Class #2.78:[/b][/COLOR] [I]An Otter, a Bat and a Moose walk into a Bar...[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=#F57C1D][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][color=#E48838][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I]None[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=#E48838][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]The Teams They Are a-Changin'[/I][/right][/SUP]
[COLOR=silver][sup][b]| Now[/b][/sup][/color]
[INDENT]The envelope contained three small invitations. Each was printed onto a form of paper, likely cardstock based on the firmness and texture by Alyssa's reasoning. The invitations bore a small message, detailing why the House had picked her and signed off with an emblem making it explicitly clear which House it was in case the genus-related name failed to make the connection apparent.

Looking down at her cards, weighing her options and examining how each colour looked against her skin and hair, Alyssa ultimately made her choice. Quickly looking around as she came to the realization she was among the last to choose. All of Team Eclipse had already picked, Robert Scott had accepted the colours for House Canis, the same as Cassander Charon, the same as Oliver she quickly realized before looking down at her cards again to ensure that was not an option. Zebulun Michaels had approached Team Lutra, while Eden Sherewood had gone to Myotis. Both options that Alyssa shared.

Holding her cards up again, Alyssa carefully looked them over, focusing on which attribute each addressed.
[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1047910123206627378/1070136016721170442/House_Alces.png[/img][/center]
[color=#33ce57][b]Alces[/b][/color], [I]mindfulness[/i]. Serene greens surrounded the bull moose that represented Alces. The Lord of the Forest; tall and triumphant, but also gentle and peaceful. The green also complimented her hair well, Alyssa would be lying to say it was not tempting. But she didn't exactly feel defined by being mindful of others, that was just good manners, part of being a good samaritan if one would. She'd reconsider it if the other two didn't add up, but looking toward Katja and Trace, Alyssa didn't really know how the three of them had anything in common. Someone must have thought they all belonged in Alces though.

[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1047910123206627378/1070080948428881980/Lutra_House_Test.png[/img][/center]
[color=#2559d4][b]Lutra[/b][/color], [i]intelligence[/i]. Symbolized by calming blues and a frolicking otter, the house was certainly tempting. Alyssa had been taught to value education and subsequently intelligence from a young age. She also appreciated that of her three choices, House Lutra was the only one whose faculty member was female, even if the Captain was not. There was also the bonus of Lutra being the reigning champion of the school's intramural league. Alyssa had enjoyed several sports through her years at boarding school and the academy back in Orange County. Basketball, Rugby, Soccer, Track and Field, it could be fun to be part of a competitive house. 

[center][img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1047910123206627378/1070864055759278090/Myotis.png[/img][/center]
[color=#8d6cb1][b]Myotis[/b][/color], [i]spirituality[/i]. The vibrant violet hues called to Alyssa as they encompassed the silhouette of a hanging bat. But was spirituality necessarily the same as faith? Alyssa wasn't convinced that her personal relationship as a Christian, even if it was a little rocky could simply be boiled down to spirituality. She couldn't deny the appeal towards the colour, but the bat itself was a little off-putting, perhaps even half the reason why she was worried she wouldn't jive in Myotis. Looking at the others who joined the purple House, Alyssa couldn't help but feel there were no real similarities between her and either of her former teammates. 

Completing her reevaluation, Alyssa realized there was only one clear contender for her. Looking towards the blue banner and the familiar faces of Elodie Miller, Sierra Hilton and Zebulun Michaels, Alyssa held up her Lutra invite and approached the House Captain. Isabelle Christianson nodded to the Lutra Captain, Holt Sommersfield as he placed the blue boat cloak on Alyssa's shoulder.

A celebratory cry echoed across the stadium as another joined the current holder of the House Laurels.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[INDENT][INDENT]The day had been exhausting. Jim collapsed into the leather office chair before using his abilities to push the door to the small office shut. This new iteration of Blackjack was certainly living up to the idea of being 'wildcards', but there was no doubt in his mind that they would test every last nerve he had before graduation. Reaching into the bottom drawer of his desk, Jim pulled out a simple rectangular bottle and poured a small amount into the glass atop the desk. Only upon doing so did he notice the brightly wrapped box placed squarely in the center of his desk. Sitting up, Jim looked around his office quickly, searching for signs of forced entry, or anything else out of place. Whoever had placed the box had been allowed to enter the office, not even a leaf on the ficus in the corner was out of place.

He placed his hand on the box. It reeked of perfume, something overly sweet. It wasn't entirely unfamiliar, he had smelled it in dealing with Collegiate students before. It was the kind of scent a teenage girl would think men were drawn to. The box itself felt sturdy and thick. Too thick for cardboard. Instead, it felt more like the kind of styrofoam one would find inside a furniture box.

Drawing a knife from the back of his belt, Jim gingerly slid the blade under each piece of tape until the wrapping paper simply fell away revealing the single-use cooler inside. Looking down at the top, Jim's eyes were met by a simple note taped to the lid. Pink, cursive writing assaulted his eyes as his heart sank and his stomach turned.

[COLOR=#ffc1cc][CENTER][i]I figured you’d need something to bury.[/i][/CENTER]
[RIGHT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][INDENT]xoxox
Autumn[/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT][/RIGHT][/COLOR]
Opening the lid, Jim didn't know what emotion to feel first. Rage gave way to grief which melted away to complete disgust as the smell of the contents hit his nose, completely overriding the perfume from the wrapping paper. 

Inside the box was Tad's head, the top of his skull sliced clean open.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[INDENT][INDENT]Leaving the ceremony with their new Houses, the various members of Blackjack, Eclipse and Firebird made their way across campus in the throng of students to the four multi-storey buildings that made up the University Dormitories. Each university student was given a private bedroom inside a unit with three other such rooms. The bedroom itself consisted of a queen-sized bed, complete with storage underneath it, along with a desk, dresser and closet. In the corner opposite the bed, a forty-two-inch television was mounted on an adjusted arm so that it could be watched from just about anywhere in the room. The rooms were overall spacious, big enough that a student could add a couch or punching bag if so desired. 

These four bedrooms were attached around a shared living room complete with a large television, a dining table, a sectional and several other pieces of furniture. Additionally, each dorm consisted of a full kitchen for the four students to use along with a shared laundry room. The mentality was to encourage some independence among the students, however, everyone was still welcome to use the mess hall if desired.

Each university dorm was split between two houses. The first building is shared between Houses Alces and Canis, while the second contains both Houses Gulo and Lutra. The third building is split between Houses Lynx and Myotis while the last building is occupied by the Houses of Strigidae and Ursus. Each building has its own private patio, hot tub and in-ground pool for members of either house to use. This patio also contains an outdoor kitchen and grill that can be either reserved or used on a first-come, first-serve basis.

All in all, the university dorms were designed to eliminate any want that the students might have for home and thus optimally designed for comfort and familiarity.

Upon arriving at their assigned dorms and rooms, each student would find the bed freshly made with House themed uniform variants waiting for their arrival. Neatly placed on their desk were all the books and supplies they would need for the semester, along with a letter from their House Captain thanking them for making the 'right' choice and encouraging each student to sign up for the intramural league. 

However, for [abbr=Ariel, Iñigo, Jonna, Katja, Trace and Yuri]six particular students[/abbr], beneath the pile of clothing would be a small black envelope. Similar in size to the one they had received for their house invitations, inside was a message accompanied by what appeared to be another house emblem. Black and bearing the silhouette of either a whale or a dolphin, the message above read:

[CENTER][COLOR=BLACK][b][i]House Orcinus is watching you with great interest.

Should you seek us, come to the Southern Plateau when the full moon meets the sea.

Share this with nobody. 

Those that do will not find the embrace of the Pod.[/i][/b][/COLOR][/CENTER][/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[INDENT][INDENT]For most, the weekend that followed the ceremony and room assignment went by quickly. Between moving into a new dormitory, and meeting new faces, the weekend was a blur of activity that, for many, was the first time that Pacific Royal Collegiate & University actually began to live up to its initial promise. Tension and unease were still around every corner, and the increased security measures did little to help students forget that, but there was comfort in finally moving out of the Intake House and into a permanent residence.

With the weekend gone, and despite being delayed a week due to the events surrounding Hyperion and Cassander's death, the first class had finally arrived for the latest students to begin their journey through the Hyperhuman Enforcement Accelerated Training program. Teams Blackjack, Eclipse and Firebird were all completing the same curriculum, although attending each course in a different order. Blackjack itself was starting with Intro to Law as taught by the House Ursus faculty representative, Elias Onassis in the Law & Liberal Arts wing of the Academic Quadrangle. Whereas Eclipse would be starting with Victoria Roth's course, Managing Conflict & Intervention Strategy similarly located a few doors down. Her husband, Aiden however had Team Firebird first for Practical Ability Training in the augmented reality center.

All students were required to report their Team Faculty member, to be escorted to their first class of the day. Standing outside of the Mess Hall, Jim looked worse for wear than Aaron or Miranda had expected, the smell of bourbon radiated from the sweat-stained shirt beneath his trademark jacket.

The Chancellor had decided to keep Tad's fate quiet for now, the students were only just starting to come to terms with the death of Cassander. A H.I.T. unit had also commandeered the box and its contents as evidence, which meant that despite Autumn's intentions, they currently had nothing to bury. Suffice it to say, Jim wasn't taking it well.

Miranda had broken the news to Jess who took it even worst, putting in for stress leave and departing the school for an unknown time, leaving the three Team Leaders without their student aides. 

Raising his aviators onto his head, Aaron handed Jim a cup of steaming black coffee.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Best get this into you now, before Blackjack arrives, they shouldn't see you like this."[/COLOR]
 
Jim nodded, uncharacteristically silent as he accepted the coffee with a silent nod of gratitude.

[COLOR=WHITE]"Do you trust your kids with the Roths?"[/color] Jim asked both Miranda and Jim, [COLOR=WHITE]"Aiden is straight out of Crestwood, Victoria was one of the first in the door of this institution. Wouldn't be surprised to learn their kids call Jonas grandpa. If any form of corruption, Hyperion or otherwise, traces that far back, neither of them have clean hands."[/color]

[COLOR=WHITE]"No love lost between Aiden and Viktor though."[/color] Aaron replied, [COLOR=WHITE]"So not all of the Crestwood kids are tight."[/color]

[COLOR=WHITE]"Aiden was Vanessa's boyfriend, broke up with her the night she was murdered."[/color] Miranda replied, [COLOR=WHITE]"A part of Viktor will always blame him for that."[/color]

[COLOR=WHITE]"Can't say I ever much cared for Viktor, think I'm startin' to see him in a new light though,"[/COLOR] Jim scoffed, looking up to see Alyssa and a few other students approaching. Rubbing a hand over his unkempt scruff, Jim straightened up and downed the rest of the coffee.

It was show time.[/INDENT][/INDENT]
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[INDENT][INDENT]The pair of green eyes suddenly shot open. Blinding white lights penetrated the thick womb-like liquid of the tank, a breathing tube shoved down his throat was barely noticeable with the searing pain radiating from his chest. Behind the glass of the tank were only sterile white walls. He tried to move, tried to swim but there was no surface to penetrate and no room to navigate. A reflection on the glass caught his eye and the figure quickly realized the scarred visage staring back at him was his own face.

He tried to scream, but only a bubble of air escaped his throat.[/INDENT][/INDENT][CENTER][COLOR=#F57C1D][sub]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/COLOR][/center][COLOR=#F57C1D][SUP][table][row][sup][h1][color=2c2c2c][b]▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅[/b][right][b]▅▅▅▅▅[/b][/right][/color][/h1][/sup][/row][row][cell][color=#2c2c2c]- -[/color]|◄ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5448831][COLOR=#E48838][b]FIRST[/b][/COLOR][/url][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][center]◄ [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5454537][COLOR=#E48838][B]PREV[/B][/COLOR][/url] || [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5454220][COLOR=#E48838][B]NEXT[/B][/COLOR][/url] ►[color=#2e2c2c]-[/color][/center][/cell][cell][color=2c2c2c]-[/color][/cell][cell][INDENT][right][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5454220][COLOR=#E48838][B]LATEST[/B][/COLOR][/url] ►|[/right][/INDENT][/cell][/row][/table][/SUP][/color][/COLOR]