[h1][sup][center]
[sub][color=black]Jo Montague[/color]
[color=af593e]Jo Montague[/color][/sub][/center][/sup][/h1]
[right][sub]Mentions/Interactions: /[/sub][/right][hr][hr][color=lightgray]
Jo left headmaster Poe’s office feeling buoyed, a pep in his step. The lord had actually listened, and had even promised to help! He wouldn’t leave it all in the principal’s hands, of course, but he could rest easy, at least for a bit. A light heart was to be treasured, as he and his father both agreed. He was in the mood to thoroughly explore the grounds, and he indulged the impulse, starting with the dormitories.

He marveled at the room he was given. Not because it was better furnished than the one in his home – it could not be, with Edward Montague’s years of efforts to make him feel at home, and Jo’s own touch adding to it – but because the knowledge that [i]every single student[/i] had a room like this boggled the mind. He had seen the staggering size of the whole school building, [i]he had[/i], but it was quite another thing to have something with which to put it in concrete terms. 

His dorm room was a pleasant contrast of dark floors, creamy walls, and light wood furniture. Jo removed his boots and socks, diggings his toes into the plush rug at the foot of his bed. He opened his trunk, and took his time depositing most of his things into their places; into the empty wardrobe, on the smooth beech study desk, books on their shelves, writing materials, a few stray coins, a deck of cards, cosmetic kit, and other miscellanea into the drawers, and so on. Among his wardrobe was a bunch he kept well hidden: wearable padding constructed in such a manner that none would question his masculinity as well as several sets of wrapping for his chest. He was fortunate that he was not well endowed in that area, but the bindings were useful at times. As always, he kept a few travel essentials in the suitcase in case he needed to leave unexpectedly.

When all was as suited them, Jo sidled up to the window, opened it, and took a peek outside. Balconies were few and far between, which was a shame. Still barefoot, they crouched onto the windowsill. A quick glance confirmed no nosy dormmates happened to be near their windows. They sidled up to the wall, toed to the nearest pilaster, and clambered up using it and the window’s trim for purchase. There were plenty of convenient handholds in the form of cornices, generous ledges, and minute ornaments. The difficult part wasn’t getting up, it was doing it unnoticed. Caution, practice, and fortune held true, and they were soon up on the roof.

Up on the slanted shingles, he stretched out with a weathervane-bearing cupola at his back, as secure up here as if he were on the grounds below. He could see far and wide, from the rolling fields of grass, to the manicured garden, to the sprawling estate surrounding them. It was a nice, calm space here – maybe he’d make it his usual smoking haunt. 

Once he’d got his fill of watching from the dorm’s roof, he returned to his room to collect his shoes, and took a stroll along the grounds. He had the general sense of the layout now, but he’d get a better feel down below. Still, when he came across a row of ornamental pillars, he couldn’t help himself. He climbed one up, noticed that [i]another[/i] had a hole on its top, and leaped to it.

Oh, what a fun place to discover! 

A cozy hideout with a blanket, pillow, and evidence of snacking involved. There was a locked journal inside, and their fingers itched to pick its lock, but they stayed their hands. Jo was inclined to meet whoever was staying here, so they would not steal from the stranger – yet. The youth withdrew the pin from his tie, unearthed a stray piece of paper in his vest, and scratched out ‘Jo’ on it. He placed the introductory slip atop the stranger’s journal, then left their lair.

Jo strolled on the grounds, and noticed a few groups of students clustered here and there. Friends? Gossips? They did not know. What they did hear was speculation on the circus, which had just come in town. They’d go see what it was about when opportunity arose, but they were far from done exploring the immediate surroundings of their newest space of habitation.

They ventured into the garden, admiring the botanist’s skills and sense of aesthetic, when they happened upon a hole in one of its corners. An [i]empty[/i] hole. Was the person not done digging yet? Would they hide something in there or had they already taken something out of it? Was it for some other purpose? Jo figure they might come this way another time to check.

They spent a good few hours familiarizing themselves with the school grounds, but as far as they were concerned, that was merely the initial sweep. It would take days, weeks, perhaps longer before they felt comfortably acquainted with St. Eustice’s School for the Enlightened.[/color]