[color=darkgray][indent][COLOR=silver][sup][b][u]The Previous Evening[/u][/b][/sup][/COLOR]
[i]As Aurora became aware of her surroundings, the first thing she noticed was how warm she was. It was a comforting kind of heat, almost as if someone had wrapped her in a blanket on a cold day. Her ears began to recognize the noises around her, not specific words, just chatter, along with the crash of the waves and the crackle of the remaining embers of a fire. 

[color=fe650d][sub]“Rora,”[/sub][/color]

A familiar voice broke through the haze and a firm but gentle hand rocked her awake. [color=fe650d]“Rora, hey, sleepy-head, everyone is turning in for the night. Can I walk you to your dorm, lady dude?”[/color]

The redhead’s eyes opened slowly, warily. It took her a minute to adjust, but after a moment she remembered where she was; they were around the campfire on the beach. The last thing that came to mind about the evening was hearing everyone’s plans post-grad, and given that the pile of driftwood in the center was now mainly ashes, some time had passed since then. 

Not only had she fallen asleep, but she quickly realized that she had dozed off [b]on[/b] Lorcán, who was the one waking her up, her head resting on his shoulder and her body tucked underneath his arm comfortably. No wonder she had been so warm. Aurora sat up in a groggy daze, [COLOR=8ECDB7]“Oh god, I’m so sorry,”[/color] she started, moving the strands of copper hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear, [COLOR=8ECDB7]“I didn’t mean to. I was so tired from not sleeping well last night…I don’t even know how that happened though.”[/color] She tried to piece together how she had so carelessly let herself pass out, [COLOR=8ECDB7]“I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”[/color]

[color=fe650d]“Don’t even sweat it,”[/color] Lorcán beamed, smiling as he helped her to her feet. [color=fe650d]“Just the usual conversations between the brahs and the bros. Amma even chirped up.”[/color] He added, hesitating slightly before continuing.

[color=fe650d]“Less positive stuff though, totally killed the vibe before my best bro gave it some sloppy mouth to mouth. She was just going on about how the world fears us and something about being trapped on the island. It really did harsh my mellow for a minute though.”[/color] Lorcán shook his head, underplaying just how much Amma's words had gotten to him.

[color=fe650d]“It was all chill, I’m sure by tomorrow it’ll be just a memory.”[/color] He added as the pair began to walk away from the beach. Aurora nodded lazily, still waking up from her slumber. She wiped her eyes and looked up at Lorcán.

[COLOR=8ECDB7]“Yeah… just a memory.”[/color] 

The walk was mostly quiet, Aurora still half asleep, but it was a comfortable silence, as it always was between the two. Upon returning to her dorm, the redhead quickly fell back asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She hadn’t even bothered to change out of her sweatshirt which still smelled like the smoky campfire, subtly reminiscent of something else. [b]Someone[/b] else. 

It was the best sleep she had gotten in weeks.[/i]
 
[CENTER][COLOR=8ECDB7][sup]_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][/center]
[COLOR=silver][sup][b] | Tuesday, September 5th, 2028
 | 0600 Hours [/b][/sup][/COLOR]
[i]Right foot, left foot. Right foot, left foot.[/i]

The first light of sunrise kissed the horizon and Aurora was already on the move. Her breath formed tiny clouds in the chill of the air as her legs beat a steady rhythm on the ground. The redhead liked running; it was a solitary sport and the only person she was up against was herself. As much as she hated the early wakeups during the school year, she preferred to go when the Island was still and quiet before the hustle and bustle of the day began. Her route varied depending on her mood, but the nature trails north of campus along the coastal cliffs were her favorite, which is where she found herself this morning. 

It was humid with dense clouds rolling in overhead, indicating a storm was brewing. Luckily for her, if it started to downpour, she could be back at her dorm in no time at all. But nevertheless, she picked up speed, winding with the natural pathway carved through the trees. The wind was to her back, pushing her along, and upbeat music played through her headphones to help maintain her pace. Sweat gathered at her brow and as she approached the furthest point of the trail, her mind danced through a myriad of thoughts, unraveling her emotions like tangled threads. Each heavy exhale allowed her to release the tension she felt, and each deep inhale brought her more peace. 

As she reached the crest of the hill and the lookout over the cliffs, she took off her headphones and let the crash of the surf and the whistle of the breeze become her soundtrack. On a clear day, you could normally see the vague outline of the mainland, but fog engulfed the sightlines and the sea stretched out into nothingness. 

In that moment, Aurora pretended that the real world didn’t exist at all. 

[CENTER][COLOR=8ECDB7][sup]__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sup][/COLOR][img]https://i.imgur.com/trGSdE7.gif[/img][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=8ECDB7][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]Myotis Dorm ➜ Mess Hall ➜ Chimera’s Lair[/I] - [I]Pacific Royal Campus[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Welcome Home #1.046:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Calm Before the Storm[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][center][COLOR=8ECDB7][SUP][sub]________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][/center][indent][sub][color=8ECDB7][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [I] [color=fe650d]Lorcán[/color] [@Lord Wraith], [COLOR=#8A9A5B]Harper[/color] [@Qia], [color=D2b48c]Haven[/color] [@Skai], [COLOR=F796A9]Calliope[/color] [@PatientBean] [/I][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=8ECDB7][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [COLOR=darkGRAY][I]Dreaming[/I][/color][/right][/SUP][/indent]

Aurora did an efficient turnaround upon returning from her run; a shower, followed by a quick breakfast with her roommates in their shared kitchen, before changing into her outfit for the day. She was looking forward to wearing her uniform for the first time this school year, but inevitably the novelty would fade a few weeks into the semester like it always did. Today she chose to represent her house, pairing the muted purple blouse with the matching tartan skirt and nude tights. She was fortunate that Myotis’ color suited her copper hair and fair skin. Had she been in Strigidae or Canis she would definitely have felt otherwise. 

Looking at the time, she did a final check of herself in the mirror, fussing with her natural waves and slipping on her loafers, before heading out the door and making her way to the Community Farm to complete her contribution before the ceremony. Aurora’s task today was simple, watering the plot of perennial flowers that were to be used for the senior dance, but as she did so all she could think about was yesterday’s fiasco. Hopefully the dust had settled and everyone had gotten over the awkwardness, but that was possibly wishful thinking. 

Before she knew it, the redhead was done with her responsibilities and approaching the Mess Hall, easily spotting her teammates who were gathered around their faculty advisor, Tad. She gave him a wave before joining the group, arriving just in time to catch a glimpse of Lorcán’s bright red boxers. She quickly turned her head and averted her gaze, half to give him some privacy, half to hide the blush that immediately appeared on her face. Fortunately, the group began walking towards the Stadium, which gave her the chance to return back to her normal color without anyone noticing. Once they entered Chimera’s Lair, she fell into step beside the brown haired boy and took her usual seat next to him. 

As the ceremony began, Aurora stood and hummed along with the national anthem. Although it technically wasn’t her own, she liked to join in to some extent as she had been living in Canada nearly as long as she had been in the states. She felt she owed the country something, at the very least her respect, for providing her safe asylum all these years. The redhead paid attention as Jim - well, now Chancellor O’Neill - approached the microphone and started to speak. 

[color=#ffffff]“It was here on this island that I found not only a family, but also a home. This island, this school and its campus, it is my hope that each of you find it just as welcoming now as I did then. I hope that you look at the people beside you, the people you share a dorm with and you see not only friends, but people who you can rely on and trust indiscriminately.”[/color]

[i]Family. Home.[/i]

The words struck a chord. It was silly how such small words affected her, how they made her feel. The concept of a family and a home had always remained a complex and unresolved issue for Aurora. She was often torn between the yearning for roots and the fear of being uprooted once more. The familiarity of Dundas Island and the friendships she cultivated on campus provided a semblance of belonging, yet a lingering unease persisted within her. The very notion of family and home seemed elusive, a distant dream slipping through her fingers, and more often than not she questioned what those words truly meant. If she’d ever find meaning in them. 

[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]

[COLOR=#8A9A5B]“WHAT?”[/color]

Even though Harper was the only one to blurt something out, she heard Calliope suck in a breath, no doubt the blonde’s legal dreams flashing before her eyes, and saw Haven’s brow furrow, the winged girl trying to figure out how this affected her. In fact, all around them students were reacting to the news in different ways. 

Of course it was disheartening. The degree Aurora had worked so hard towards over the past 4 years - all the late nights in the library, the endless juggling of responsibilities, the stressful days of back to back classes - would be for nothing. But, at the same time, she didn’t have as much to lose as the others. Her future plans were still up in the air; she wasn’t even sure if she’d ever leave the Islands, ever even want to. So, as disappointing as this was to the redhead, she could, and would, manage. A small part of her even sighed in relief knowing she had more time to figure this whole thing out. But for her friends, her teammates, it was another story.

Aurora could see Lorcán’s demeanor shift out of the corner of her eye- the way his grip tightened around the base of his seat and the redness that appeared on his face. She had only seen him angry a few times since she’d known him, so for him to be reacting this way was not taken lightly. 

[color=#ffffff]“As many of you are already aware, the Alexandria Foundation is here this year to audit Pacific Royal and to bring it up to our standards. We’re interested in acquiring this school and helping it move past that, what would you call it Mr. O’Neil? Little faux-pas with your previous Chancellor.”[/color] 

Aurora gasped, her hand moving to cover her mouth, the hairs standing up on her neck. For that woman to boil the unthinkable and unspeakable time in Pacific Royal’s history down to, as she called it, a ‘faux-pas’, shook the redhead to her core. She remembered every detail of that fateful day on the Plateau, as did everyone who was on campus then. The damage and the fallout would be etched into her memory and heart forever. 

[color=D2b48c]"I'll give her a really nice Pacific Royal Welcome after this."[/color] 

[COLOR=F796A9]"Whoever she is, I hate her. If she thinks I'm doing anything to make her life easier here, she has another thing coming."[/color]

As the ceremony came to a close, the entire stadium shocked into an uncomfortable silence, the redhead turned to Lorcán, knowing how deep the situation cut for him and his family. However, she found herself looking up at him as he shot up out of his seat not even before Jim had dismissed them.

[color=fe650d]“I think I need some air.”[/color] 

Aurora couldn’t react quickly enough to stop him. [COLOR=8ECDB7]“Lorcán, wait,”[/color] She called after him, but it was lost in the mix of the shocked chatter and chaos around them. She looked around at her teammates as things concluded, taking in everyone’s ranging emotions all at once. Some sat there stoic or confused while others were just as upset as Lorcán was. Her eyes fell to Tad, who was also trying to assess the situation, and as they made eye contact, he inclined his head towards the exit where Lorcán had just fled. She nodded, understanding without a word needing to be spoken, [COLOR=8ECDB7]“I’ll go after him. We’ll meet you at the Plateau.”[/color]

The redhead focused her mind and visualized where she wanted to go, and in an instant, she was gone.

Teleporting didn’t feel like much. Sometimes she could make out the vague sensation of her body being pulled elsewhere, but most of the time it was more of a weightlessness. Like the way your stomach feels at the top of a roller coaster before gravity kicks in. As soon as her feet felt the cushion of the grass outside of the stadium, her eyes darted around frantically, looking for Lorcán. It didn’t take long for her to find him, pacing and moving his hands as if he was playing his bass, tapping his right thumb against his belt and his left hand working an invisible fretboard. Aurora sighed, relieved, and closed the distance between them. 

[COLOR=8ECDB7]“Lorcán,”[/color] 

It was pointless to ask if he was okay; it was evident that he was not. Visually, his shoulders were taut and tense, and as she searched his eyes, she noticed they were darker than usual. Even the air around him was higher in temperature. She gently tried to place a hand on his arm, not wanting to set him off, but quickly recoiled after feeling how hot his skin was to the touch. 

[COLOR=8ECDB7]“Hey, hey, [i]breathe[/i], talk to me.”[/color]
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