[color=gray][indent][color=#a9a9a9][sup][b]| Tuesday, September 5[sup]th[/sup], 2028[/b]
| 0500 hrs[/sup][/color]
[INDENT]Waves crashed against the sand as the lone figure ran up and down the beach. Steam rose off his bare back while sweat threatened to cause Lorcán’s earbuds to slide out of his ear canals. The faint din of a heavy bass track topped with squealing guitars and a mournful ballad could be faintly heard coming from the headphones. Glimpses of flames licking the night’s sky while a pair of cold blue eyes stared at him flickered faintly in his mind’s eye as Lorcán pushed himself for another sprint down the sandy terrain.

As the song finished, Lorcán paused for a breather, while looking out over the crashing waves. A proud member of the ‘Dawn Patrol’, he was out here every morning until the temperature dropped too low for even him to surf. Though the winter brought its own fun in the form of snowboarding, the island had little in the way of good hills. His parents had taken him to Whistler a couple of years back and while snowboarding and surfing weren’t a one-for-one translation, it had still been a lot of fun. 

Looking towards the sky, Lorcán watched the sun fight to peek over the horizon, crimson light casting an eerie glow across the Pacific while dark clouds moved in overhead. Gone was the summer sun of yesterday, replaced by the ominous storm front that threatened to downpour over the island at any second. But the storm wasn’t about to get him down, not after last night. The memory of Aurora asleep on his shoulder had been enough to keep Lorcán far too ecstatic for a restful sleep of his own. But something else had happened that sent shivers down his spine.

In the fire, someone’s abilities had intertwined with Lorcán’s own. A primal, destructive force that first fought against his manipulation of the heat. They tangled and fought for dominance, one unstoppable and all-consuming, the other immovable and uncontainable. Continuing to struggle against one another before eventually, the two indomitable energies found a way to coexist, mating together and breaking down the wood as the fire flared with a surge of raw power emitting a wave back over Lorcán that curled his toes.

The wind suddenly howled, interrupting the memory while whipping what loose sand there was into the air before carrying it off to sea, the tall grass dotting the outer edge of the beach flailed about in a dance of submission to the primordial force. Lorcán was immediately brought back to the present, spotting the enticing whitecaps that appeared on the tossing waves and elicited a smile on his face. Putting away his earbuds, Lorcán looked around before shrugging and stripping out his sweat-drenched physical training uniform. The morning breeze coming in over the ocean wicked away the beading sweat that hung over every inch of his body. 

It was always refreshing against his bare skin.

Not that Lorcán had any intention of ‘hanging eleven’, at least not so close to his last demerit for being caught surfing in the buff, but his physical training uniform did not afford him the freedom of a good pair of board shorts let alone being nude. Thus, despite enjoying the cool breeze, Lorcán opted not to start Canis in a deficit of House points this semester and after folding away his workout clothes, pulled his shorts from his bag. Stepping into the familiar pineapple-covered blue board shorts on, Lorcán stowed his phone and headphones into the saddlebag before grabbing his board from the holder hanging off the side of his motorcycle.

The motorcycle had been a sixteenth birthday gift from his Dad. A vintage scrambler that Lorcán had spent most of that summer fixing up and converting to a bobber. After countless hours of pleading with a tech over on the Alpha Base, he managed to secure the engine off of a wrecked Harpy to perform an engine swap making the vintage motorcycle capable of running off a battery or even his own abilities. Adding an electronic kick start and emulated muffler sound to keep the bike feeling ‘authentic’ and Lorcán was off to the races. He still hadn't yet convinced Aurora to join him for a ride.

Dropping the board in the water, Lorcán kept his eyes on the horizon while paddling out towards the epic swells. This was the time of day he most looked forward to. Offshore winds, deep groundswells; the surf was always best in the morning especially here on Dundas Island. Despite the dark skies, it was still in prime condition to catch some peeling green waves.

The surf was just what Lorcán needed to clear his head. The highlight of last night was of course Aurora falling asleep on his shoulder, but Lorcán couldn’t help but feel underwhelming compared to the other members of Blackjack. So many of them had such firm plans, Calli was going to start not only a family but a civil moment, Haven had her plans all laid out, while Gil had never been shy about his. Katja had multiple ambitions to pursue beyond the island.

Even [i]Banjo[/i] of all people knew exactly what he was going to do after graduation.

But despite all the positivity, Lorcán couldn’t help but shake Amma’s words from his head. Those pale blue eyes, staring through the fire, it was as though of all them there, she had been speaking directly to him. Unlike Aurora’s there was no smile behind them, there was power with no hesitation. Lorcán had felt like a deer before a wolf.

[i][color=#b4a7d6]The world outside of this perfect little bubble is cruel and it is dark and it is afraid,[/color][/i]

Standing up on his board, Lorcán began to chase a wave, struggling to find his center and balance on his board. The board slid under his feet, prompting him to curl his toes around the edge, trying to relocate it underneath him. Amma’s voice continued to play in his head, taunting Lorcán with fears he’d been trying to bury. Fears that were first awakened by Hyperion so few years ago.

[i][color=#b4a7d6]Afraid of [b]you[/b].[/color][/i]

The wolf lunged, downing the deer. Lorcán found himself hesitating, the words reverberating over and over in his head. The air around him superheated suddenly, a crack of lightning illuminating the swell in a bright flash. He faltered, the distinct squeak of skin sliding on fiberglass cut through the din of the crashing waves as Lorcán went over, into the side of the swell. Gasping for air before hitting the surface.

And then the wave crashed over him.[/INDENT][/INDENT][CENTER][COLOR=#AC0D01][sup]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5504477][img]https://i.imgur.com/qq4DoJJ.jpeg[/img][/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=#E64C09][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Mess Hall[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=#E64C09][b]Welcome Home #1.042:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Trapped[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=#AC0D01][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][color=#E64C09][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I][@Melissa] - Aurora Mitchell, [@Roman] - Gil Galahad, [@webboysurf] - Rory Tyler[/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=#E64C09][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Shoot for the Stars[/I][/right][/SUP]
[color=#a9a9a9][sup]| 0800 hrs[/sup][/color]
[indent]Spotting the others already gathering outside of the Mess Hall, Lorcán ran forward silently before coming to a sudden stop between Gil and Rory. Swinging both of his arms back, hands fully extended and open palmed, a loud ‘[b][i]SLAP[/i][/b]’ interrupted the ongoing conversation as Lorcán made contact with his friends’ behinds. Gil in particular jumped, startled by the sudden hard slap to his rear only to turn to see a smug Lorcán cracking out an energy drink from his bag.

[color=#fe650d]“Hopefully, you dudes don’t have to sit down too soon, but man, [i]bros[/i], you missed out on some legen-lactose heavy’-dary swells this mornin’.”[/color] Lorcán leaned toward Rory and Gil, his hair still wet from his morning surf and hastily groomed. The telltale tropical aroma of Lorcán’s board wax could be smelled coming from the slicked hair. His bangs however refused to be tamed as the wavy hair hung over his forehead.

[color=#fe650d]“I am totally going to get you both out on a board before we graduate.”[/color] He stated while flashing a typical trademarked Lorcán smile. Realizing his shirt was hanging over his belt, Lorcán attempted to tuck it into the waistline of his fitted slacks. Struggling to get it right, he opted instead to loosen his belt, the buckle flying open and causing his pants to drop to his knees in front of the assembled team. A quick flash showed everyone in the nearby vicinity of the Mess Hall that Lorcán’s boxers were as red as his House dress shirt while he tucked it in and re-fastened his pants.

Several gasps could be heard when his pants fell.

[color=#fe650d]“C’mon dudes, nothing you haven’t seen before,”[/color] Lorcán added before pulling his blazer on and promptly pushing the sleeves up to his elbows.

[color=#ffffff]“Alright Blackjack, looks like everyone is accounted for. Any stragglers can catch up, you all know the drill by now.”[/color]

Tad interrupted any further conversation, pushing for the Team to make their way over to the stadium for the opening ceremonies. As far as the ceremony went, it was a fairly standard affair, nothing that Lorcán hadn’t seen seven times prior. The only twist was that this was the year they would get to partake in creating the trial for the freshmen. 

He sat on the edge of his seat, excited to be dismissed. Then Jim’s face fell and Lorcán’s outlook on the upcoming year suddenly changed.

[color=#ffffff]“Given the current societal climate, circumstances beyond our control have conspired to invalidate our accreditations. To be straight with y’all, Pacific Royal has recently lost its accreditations for our degree programs in the engineering, law and medical fields. Students currently completing those will graduate with a degree not recognized for career certifications.”[/color]

[i][color=#b4a7d6]Do you really think any of that is going to happen. Do you think they'll just simply let you go.[/color][/i]

Amma’s words from last night echoed again in Lorcán’s head as Jim continued to speak. The sparks of anger started to ignite inside of his chest. He wanted to graduate, he wanted to leave the island and everything the raven-haired girl had said last night was coming true.

His hand curled into the seat beneath him, barely registering his own father, lighting the torch as he did every year. Lorcán couldn’t handle sitting in the stadium any longer. Everyone around him suddenly felt so close. He felt trapped. 

Why hadn’t his father warned him this was coming, the sting of what felt like betrayal turned Lorcán’s cheeks red. He felt a lump forming in his throat and knew he had to move.

[color=#fe650d]“I think I need some air.”[/color] He muttered to Aurora while standing. Shuffling past the rest of the team, he hesitated before moving past Amma, his mouth opening, before deciding against it as he tripped into the aisle and ran out of the stadium.

His home had become a prison sentence.[/indent][/indent][/color]