Monster Academy (IC)

Dooong.... Dooong.... Dooong...

The bell of Monster Academy rang out clearly through the air for the first day of classes in this new school year, Dean Luneberg standing at the main doors of the school, his arms folded sternly over his chest. The look on his face was equally stern, his chin buried into his arms- which supported the severed head. The Dean was fully aware of the nickname given to him by the students... "Headless Heinrich", or in other cases... Headless Heinie.

What a wonderful group, indeed.

His dulled over eyes watched as the students made their way in from the dorms, clearing his throat (in however way this was made possible) as a few passing snickers were made. "Get to your klasse!," barked the decapitated German head, his body angrily pointing a finger down the hall and nearly causing the head to fall to the floor. "Du narr-! Hold me tighter next time!," He hissed, glaring upward.

The black parasol approaching was an immediate giveaway to the latest arrival. Lenore Vladamir, daughter of the infamous Count Dracul Vladamir... or as others knew him, Count Dracula. The Dean lifted his head, quite literally, until it was near enough to attempt a re-placement on his neck as he looked to the uncomfortable vampire. "Guten morgan, Miss Lenni." His voice was still stern, but he tried to force a smile.

"Gnugh." Not even a try at a smile on Lenore's part, just a slight sneer and slipping around the suited man. "Hi Mister Luneberg. Just to let you know? Someone clogged the drains pretty well in th-"

Her words were cut short as an office door suddenly swung open, the shorter-statured, white-haired form of one of Lenore's less liked teachers barreling into the hallway. The man stopped dead for a brief moment, his eyes landing on her before narrowing to mere slits. "Spawn of the demon bloodsucker... You've returned..."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't fail me again due to your issues with my old man, ya fart." Lenore rolled her eyes, moving past him as well. "He's the blood drinker, man. Not me. Seriously, Heinie... Why'd you hire this guy? He's crazier than half our parents combined..."

"Watch your mouth, succubus seed!," Van Helsing snarled after her.

"You too, meatbag!"

Welcome to the first day of a new year at Monster Academy.

She'd tried to blend in with the crowd, she really had. But being scaly, green, and having frills where your ears should be made that difficult. Gillian sighed as she walked down the hall, her head down. She'd tried to arrange her hair to cover her 'ears' this morning, but . . . when she was nervous, they stood up, and nothing was as nerve-wracking as the first day of classes. Her fingers clutched the straps of her backpack, the green scales even paler there with the pressure she was using.

"Good morning, Dean," she said softly as she passed the decapitated man, one hand going up in a wave.

The German smiled back, his hands inclining the head in a small nod. "Guten tag, Miss Gillian. I hope the new room is suitable."

She nodded enthusiastically, her hair falling partway over her face. "It's very good, thank you, sir." When she'd arrived this year for the start of school, the room she'd been assigned was . . . unpleasant for her, to say the least. Gillian had gone, almost trembling, to see the Dean about it, and he'd switched her room to one with a larger tub - almost a small pool, really, and a side door that lead out to a swampy area on the grounds.

He nodded again, and looked down the hall. "You had better hurry, classes start soon."

A small knot of students walking sedately towards the front of the school suddenly parted, drawing a few shouts and insults at the tall, lean form that burst through their midst, "Sorry! Birds!"

They stared after him as the boy ran for the entrance at full tilt. One of them, a guy with reddish skin and fire licking out of the corners of his mouth frowned, "Birds? What the hell does that fish think-" His words were cut off as a flock of birds, songbirds of all shapes and sizes and species, flew over them, set on a beeline after the fleeing youth. "...Oookay then."

Sam Hancock's arms pumped at his sides as he ran up the stairs to the doors of the school, "Damn birds...had to...notice me...very first day...couldn't...wait a...week?" As soon as he set foot outside his dormitory this morning, they'd all started chirping and screaming at him. Usually that was all birds did. But there was a blue jay there today. God damn blue jays were total assholes.

"Hi, sir," Sam called out as he ran past the Dean, "Bye, sorry. Thanks again for letting me in!" He got into the building and slammed the door shut behind him, throwing himself against it. A few moments later there was a series of impacts and sharply cut off shrill bird sounds as the attacking fowl that could not pull up struck the heavy door.

Sam relaxed, letting out a held breath. "Christ." Then he looked up to notice a number of students and faculty watching him. "...Good morning? Yeah. Uh, nice to be here." As nonchalant as possible, he squared his messenger bag over his shoulder and walked down the hallway, trying to look natural.

...Yeah. Today was just going great already.

Dean Luneberg pushed the door back open with a sigh. The janitors hated that boy already.

It was early. She could tell by the way bits of sand clung to her fingers as she worked. An empty conche shell lay with its sharp edge shoved down and other smaller shells lined a ring simulating an underwater reef. This was her castle, where deep in the ocean, her father Poseidon lay waiting for her if only she could breathe water. Chloe picked resentfully at the layer of soft down that covered her body. Whey couldn't she have inherited gills, why?

Familiar waves announced a rising tide and the cry of gulls coaxed her spirit back to calm, a calm that was soon broken again, this time by... alarms. “Beep, beep, beep” was the sound of a terrified merchant ship alerting its crew as it neared the rocks. Chloe rolled her eyes in a child’s exasperation, “Mother”. The girl’s feet carried her along the shore until she heard her mother’s song cutting across the waves. “Mother, you said you would stop,” she admonished as their hands entwined. Peisinoe smiled down. Her avian features were similar to the daughter’s, except where down covered the child, her mother’s entire body was layered in the brown and gold feathers of her race. “But this is what we do, child, we call, they answer. It is the way of things.” Peisinoe was a siren.

The dream shifted, as dreams often do, and the silhouette of the child changed before a sun that did not move. Straight lines filled and curved. They grew taller, sandcastles turned to portraits and children’s rhymes into songs of her own. Chloe’s head and neck, now graced with a young adult’s feathers, stood regally atop slightly slanted shoulders. Although the rest of her body would remain down-covered for the first couple of centuries, her readiness to take up the siren’s call was rapidly becoming apparent. “beep, beep, beep” That damned ship again, won’t it sink already!?

Chloe’s eyes opened. Seeking the familiar, her sea-green orbs followed the annoying sound. She half expected to see the ship from whence it came, but instead angry red numbers screamed: “BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.” A down covered hand took violent retribution and slammed the clock into submission before realization set in: “Seven forty five? Shit!”

It was a word she hadn’t learned from mom.

"Ssss..."
The snakes in Pandora's hair were tense and upright, writhing anxiously atop her head as she approached the school. She's briefly considered wearing the charm disguising her heritage but she knew that most of the students couldn't or wouldn't hide theirs. Her first sight of the building emphasized the point. Her aviator sunglasses reflected the chaos that was the first day of school; birds everywhere and various scuffles being averted by intimidating teachers, there was even a small fire in one of the bushes lining the impressive façade of the institution.

Normally, the timid monster would have lowered her head and entered the school as discreetly as possible but she couldn't take her eyes away from the pandemonium. For once, she didn't have to try in order to make her entrance unnoticed. Unconsciously biting her lip, she weaved in and out of the other students and managed to make her way up the steps without any confrontation.

"Watch your mouth, succubus seed!" a grizzled man with obvious zeal shouted at an edgy looking girl.

"You too, meatbag!" The girl retorted with equal venom.

A moment after the exchange Pandora wrinkled her nose in confusion. The man had been wearing the insignia of a teacher and the girl was obviously a student. Swallowing nervously, she decided to withhold judgement on the feisty, disrespectful girl.

Skirting the drama, she managed to greet the astonishingly placid dean and get directions to her first class.

"Second floor, down on the left at the top of the stair case," he said gruffly, or maybe it was just the accent.

"Thank you!" she replied amicably, continuing on to class. Composing a melody in her head to match the mood around her, the mass of serpents on her head quieted some by the time she reached her classroom.

The dark-haired man let out a long yawn as he gave another stretch of his limbs while making his way toward the campus. It was always hard for Edgar to get to sleep early at night, with the type of effect even a barely visible moon can have on his 'unique' physiology. As such, it was often equally difficult for him to get up at a reasonably early hour of the day. Still, the lycanthropy cursed student appeared ready enough for the first day of the semester at this rather unique academy, as he approached the school while keeping largely to himself rather than conversing with any other potential classmates that strolled past.

Letting out a second yawn while fighting off his exhaustion, the man glanced over at the Dean of the academy; giving the older male a nonchalant wave more out of formality then anything else. "Hey, Heinie." He greeted, rather casually without any obvious intention of malice or even ribbing in the use of Mr. Luneberg's rather unfortunate nickname, as he paused for a moment and raised an eyebrow at the mess of feathers and dead birds that were pushed off to one corner for now.

"What's up with the mess? Did I miss out on a reenactment of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds?" He asked with a nod of his head at the aforementioned mess, reaching a hand up to begin scratching at the back of his ear in a way that somewhat mirrored what would be expected of his 'other' form.

Gazing at the returning student, Dean Luneberg held his head at around his midsection and gave a shake of his head (with obvious assistance of his hands) while addressing the returning pupil, "Nein, don' concern yourself vit it, Mr. Talbot. The janitorial staff vill take care of this later."

Letting that register after a moment, the seemingly human male narrowed his eyes slightly. "Oh, right....him." He almost groaned out, remembering a few past complaints from the head of their janitorial crew about leaving clumps of hair in the school showers during Edgar's first couple of weeks here. It was a valid complaint, but still pretty embarrassing to have it issued when around others. Especially coming from someone that was practically a walking biohazard.

"Ugh, I'm getting out of here before he shows up." The lycanthrope grumbled with a shake of his head before quickly excusing himself from the Dean, heading further into the school with a little extra momentum behind each step then had been there previously.

“Dad. I don’t belong here. I’m not a mon- I’m not one of them. You know that.... “ Kiara stared at the students making their way to class. The nervous reluctance tinging her voice as she pleaded one last time to her father in the driver’s seat.

Not that it changed anything.

The car door closed behind her as the sedan sped off into the distance, taking with it her only hope of leaving the school. It took several moments before she finally turned and trudged down the stone path to the front gates. Had to keep going forward. Her head hung with dismal acceptance of her circumstance as she kept her eyes glued to the ground. It was easier that way. Easier than looking up and blanching at every strange monster that passed her by.

It took her only as far as the front door and the realization that she didn’t know where her class was dawned on her.

She just needed to ask.... shouldn’t be that hard....

Swallowing hard she glanced up. Just in time to see the headless monster before her. She bit back the scream, and wilted on the spot in an attempt to skirt around the stern head cradled carefully in two hands.

Find someone -normal- then ask....

It was like walking into a horror movie or nightmare... and she hated scary movies. That person had two extra limbs. This one had horns.... If it weren’t because there was no way for her to get home, she would’ve bolted out the door.

She pulled her glasses off and breathed, as if a moment of not facing the reality of her circumstance could make it all go away. It was just her luck that the moment of blurriness that bordered the blind only served to agitate her more.

“Hey...”

Kiara froze as the shadow loomed over her. Her imagination shifted to high gear and a scream ricocheted down the hall. Following it was a terrified whimper for mercy, “Oh-my-GOD-Please-don’t-kill-me-don’t-hurt-me... I- I’m - I’m -I’m just-looking-for-my-class-room!!!!”

She had flattened against the wall by now, the neatly printed paper with her class schedule had completely crumpled in her hand, and her nearly bent out of shape glasses the other as she lifted both hands to cover her head.

John adjusted the straps of his backpack, finally getting the position right. More importantly, it allowed him to delay the inevitable for that little longer.

The Academy.

Another year of making his Uncles happy. Another year of doing the subjects that he knew wouldn't apply to him. He knew he just didn't fit in, but his Uncles persisted in their belief that him time would come, and he would come into his unique inheritance.

But at least he would continue his music studies.

"You have such a great talent, why would you waste time studying a subject that you know so well? Surely you would benefit more from one of the humanities subjects -"

John took a deep breath. If he couldn't get out of the damned Academy, then he would have some control over what he studied. "Why do you, and Uncle Victor, keep reading up on medical texts? Why do you keep experimenting? Even when you both admit to being at the prime of your skills.

"Because you need to refine your techniques, to hone the skills that allow your own innate talents to be realized. The same with my music. I need to study more, to refine my skills to bring forth my talent to the absolute maximum. To do any less would be a waste of epic proportions."

Doctor Moreau gave John a stern look, not liking for a moment that his own words were being used against him. But rather than relent to his lesser emotional intelligence, he let the rational side remain in charge. His expression did not alter as he ran through the arguments put forward by his charge.

"Very well, it will help balance out your overall education. Furthermore, you are correct. Any great talent needs to be worked on properly to ensure that nothing is squandered."

John wandered up towards the front door, nodding to some fellow students he recognized, generally taking it all in his stride. Multiculturalism taken to the extreme. Some of the students looked human, just like him. He knew of a few lycanthropes enrolled. They passed as human every day. Others were a little more obvious in their heritage, and took greater measures to go less noticed by the normal population.

John got so engrossed in his own internal analysis, observations and general moodiness that he ignored the greeting by the headmaster, barely missed walking into several of the students inside. One of them looked almost frightened out of her wits.

"Hey..." The young woman tried to push herself into the woodwork of the wall, or at least it looked that way to John.

“Oh-my-GOD-Please-don’t-kill-me-don’t-hurt-me... I- I’m - I’m -I’m just-looking-for-my-class-room!!!!”

John resisted the urge to laugh at the girl's reaction to one of the few ordinary looking students and teachers. But he stifled his laughter before it escaped. He wondered what the young woman's affliction was, as she appeared to be completely normal. Just like him.

"Killing students is frowned upon by the staff here. Even more so on the first day of term. Can I help you find your class?"

Lenni smirked as she made her way through the halls, glancing over to see the unfamiliar girl that crashed into another guy suddenly begin to have a slight panic attack. She couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head as she played with her tie. Two of the more normal kids in this place, and she was freaking out on him. But, considering their surroundings, were those two the normal ones- or the outsiders? Sure, everyone had their reasons for being here, their different backgrounds and parental histories... but some seemed to fit it more than others.

She could sometimes ride that line of blending in around others.
Sometimes. The whole paler than paper thing was hard to work around, but so was the lack of reflection, the issues with the sun, the reaction to church related items. Her dad was COMPLETELY for separation of church and state.

Speaking of riding that line...
"Hahaa." She grinned mischeviously as she spotted the darkhaired fellow, sneaking ever-so-silently in her vampire ways up behind him (though however much it was possible to sneak up on a werewolf was sometimes hard to gauge). "I bet you were the cause of that clog, weren't you, Eddie?," She hissed into his ear, leaning on her toes to get over his shoulder. "I didn't have water at all the last few days. And I'd bet anything it was your doing..."

She intended to harass him on it just a bit longer, only to be cut off by the bing-bong of the overhead PA system. "Attention stuuudents! This is Mrs Grubber, Reminding all our returning and new arrivals that there will be a brief assembly in the maulitorium this morning! Please be sure to be on time, and bring along your happiest of faces!"

Lenni made a face, still holding to Edgar's back. "I hate how saccarine her voice is. Ugh, but with all those fat german kids she used to hang out with in that daycare of hers, its no wonder... She's probably nothing but a walking gumdrop." Letting go of him finally, she dropped back to the floor and peeked over her shoulder. Heinie was already making his way back toward his office, his head now carried under his arm. How that man could actually see where he was going, she had no clue; but it certainly made it easier for him to yell at students for misbehaving.

"No floating een vah hallways!," He barked at a passing student, his words muffled by his own blazer's sleeve.

"Hm. So, you had a chance to check out your schedule yet? I'm taking biology. Dad's decision, not my own. I could care less, really. I know all I need to." She grinned with that, a baring smile of her fangs. "All the good parts are easily found."

A serpentine hiss made its way from Gillian's mouth. The stupid assembly. Every year, the stupid assembly. Her clawed fingers tapped on the desk she was sitting at, a sharp, staccato rhythm. It was always the same thing - at least, it had been the past two years. And she, for one, didn't need a refresher in knowing not to do anything supernatural in the halls; of course, unlike some of the students here, she couldn't, so it didn't matter as much.

The teacher, a little man standing on a chair, waved his hands for silence. "All right, babies. We're going to the assembly." He frowned at them sternly, one hand tugging at the end of the long, tasseled hat he wore. "If you don't behave yourselves, I'll turn you all into . . . straw! And then into gold, and be rich!"

One girl in the back snickered. "Yeah, sure you will!" she muttered, sadly, just loud enough to be heard.

His frown grew. "If you can guess my name, miss, you'll be safe. Otherwise, it's the barn, and then my pocket for you!"

Gillian smiled slightly as the girl stammered. "Rumplestiltskin," she murmured, and the man paled.

"What did you say, girl?"

"Your name." Gillian looked up at him, her eyes wide and innocent. "It's Rumplestiltskin."

His face turned bright red, and he stomped one foot indignantly. "How did you know? How could you have guessed!?"

The rest of the room started snickering, and Gillian said calmly, "Two things. No one else would have made a demand like that, and . . ." she held up her schedule sheet, "it's on all of our schedules, sir." One clawed finger tapped the paper, and he hopped off his chair, peering up at the paper. Sure enough, written on the first line was 'Rumplestiltskin', plain as day.

"Humph. Very clever." He glowered at her for a moment, and then pointed one thin finger at the girl in back. "You got off free this time, young lady. Don't think it'll happen a second time!" He stomped towards the door, then looked back. "Well? Come on, sheep! The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll be done with this annual hullabaloo."

Her tightly shut eyes cracked open as friendliness followed, not that she could see him. But his reaction was certainly not the hostility everyone around her seemed to exude. The next breath came as a surprise and her arms slowly lowered to hand him the crumpled paper.

“I - I’ve got chemistry. Unfortunately I got signed up for it.” She muttered quietly as she tried to bend her glasses back into shape. Her cheeks flamed a brilliant red from her own embarrassment as she put them back on.

He came back into clarity and she turned redder, realizing the stupidity of screaming... at someone that seemed so normal. “I- sorry - I didn’t mean anything by what I said... I couldn’t see without glasses... and....” Her words got softer and softer until she trailed off into silence.

Silence that was mercifully broken by the PA system going live. Maulitorium? It didn’t matter, she took the chance to change the subject. “I guess I don’t go to class...? Where is this... Maul-itorium?... and does she...always sound like that?”

She looked up and offered a timid smile, telling herself to be friendly. She might survive this cursed school longer. “I’m Kiara by the way....”

It took a moment longer to realize that her name was on the paper he just finished smoothing out as she mentally kicked herself and hung her head “Right... and you could’ve read it as well.”

Sam flinched as one of the other students entering the hallway asked about the birds. Well, crap. "Uh, actually-" His explanation was cut off by the announcement coming over the intercom. Maulitorium? ...Okay, really? He knew it was a 'monster school' and all, but maulitorium? He rolled his eyes, "Well, at least they've got a sense of humor about all this."

"You think this is funny?" Some guy with horns was glowering at him. Sam realized it was the guy he'd almost run over trying to get away from the birds.

"Not really but I'm not much for puns." The unnatural youth shrugged and started to move away, hoping to defuse the situation by moving out of it. His route was cut off by a meaty forearm and hand slamming into the wall in front of him, "Aaand that was predictable."

"You got a smart mouth, fish," the growling ogre of an upperclassman snarled.

"And you've got fish mouth, what's your point?" That hadn't been the best thing to say. The horned guy's face purpuled and his other hamfist drew back.

"Gentlemen, ze assembly!" The Dean's sharply accented voice barked at them from slightly behind the cuff of his blazer, "Und Herr Geryon, I vuld be unheppy to see you for getting in fights before ze first day is even shtarted."

The larger boy grunted and moved away from Sam. The pale youth watched him go, certain this wasn't over. He sighed, "First day's looking great already."

"On your vey, Herr Hancock."

"Yes, sir. Thanks." Sam waved once at the headless dead and pulled the school map from his back jean pocket. Maulitorium...there it was. He headed off to for the assembly, hoping that he couldn't cause their projector to crash or anything.

Pandora frowned upon reaching the classroom. The moment she touched the door knob on the proper room the announcement over the PA system directing her to the maulitorium. Her snakes hissed in irritation as she turned back around. She had the misfortune of bumping into someone in her rush to get back downstairs.

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry uh, sir..." she apologized quickly, bending to pick up the array of items that had fallen out of the other students bag. A relieved sigh escaped her lips when she realized none of the multitude of bottles had broken.

"Here you are," she said with her best smile, handing back the various contaners and...cutlery? The student had hawkish eyes and other avian features. He licked his lips and eyed her hair hungrily, the snakes pulling away from him as his eyes trailed lower with a different kind of hunger.

"Thanks," he said with a smirk and opened the bag for her to deposit what she'd spilled. He licked his lips and reached for her arm. Pulling away instinctively, Pandora smiled to cover up her discomfort. She stepped back as she apologized again, almost running down the stairs.

When she finally looked behind her again she realized she'd lost the bird-man. Glad to have avoided the confrontation, it took her a minute to realize that she was lost again.

"By Poseidon! How is it that I'm lost every time I turn around!?!" The school map was somewhere in her entrance materials so she pushed her sun glasses up on her head and was digging around for it when she heard someone. Without thinking, she looked up and met a pair of eyes, momentarily stunning their owner.

The dark haired male watched from a distance as the girls short panic attack played out to its conclusion. He'd thought of approaching and seeing about alleviating the situation, but if she were so freaked out by coming into confrontation with one stranger walking these halls, then having a second approaching her may not be the best of ideas. Still, assuming she was one of the rare 'normal' students attending this academy, then Edgar could somewhat relate to how she must be feeling. His own abilities weren't always active, and so it wasn't too long ago that his own idea of normalcy was so incredibly different from what was seen walking about this campus.

Fortunately, the problem seemed to fix itself, allowing the young man a chance to make his leave without drawing attention his way. Or at least that was the plan, until the silent, nearly impossible to detect through normal human senses approach of a familiar figure caused a slight sense of irritation for the male which only grew stronger when she clung loosely to his back.

As the vampire girl hissed into his ear while leaning over his shoulder, Edgar tilted his head slightly in order to glance at her from the corner of his eye; responding in a fairly dry manner, "Lenni, you know I don't use the academy's showers while in my other form. Well not anymore, anyway...."

The young man's grumbled response had barely passed his lips when the announcement sounded over the PA system; catching both students attention until the older woman finished with her pitch. At Lenni's comment on her voice, the lycanthrope couldn't help but smirk and give an amused 'hmph' in evident agreement over her assessment of Mrs. Grubber. When she let go of his back, Edgar did finally turn enough to face the pale woman, only giving a passing glance toward the dean as he passed through the halls.

When she barred her fangs after speaking of their classes, Edgar wound up gazing at her a little longer then intended; as the vampire bite had been a subject of interest for the lycanthrope over the past couple of years. For a number of reasons, with a couple of them not exactly being something he'd freely admit. Not to Lenni or anyone else. But particularly not Lenni.

Brushing that aside for now, the dark haired student finally responded, "I'm actually taking up that subject, too. And, of course, there's your personal favorite. Restraint 101."

The male gave a slight smirk at that, knowing how she generally felt about taking the class and, in particular, dealing with their instructor. Not that Edgar could totally blame her. Dr. Van Helsing didn't exactly inspire the most nurturing of learning environments. Not when the old man often walked around the class while casually sharpening a stake or fiddling with some other type of weapon.

Shrugging that off, he gestured with a nod of his head while changing the subject, "Anyway, I guess we'd better get heading for the assembly. I know they're often a bore, but if nothing else it'll give us a chance to check out some of the new meat that's starting this year."

With that, Edgar started leading the way toward where the other students would be assembling, not certain if Lenni would be sticking by him during it or for how long, though he did pause for a moment to glance over with a curious look and add, "Just, uh...try to behave yourself around the newbies?"

“Shit, shit shit, I’m late!! First day and I’m late already.” Chloe had picked up a bit of a sailor’s mouth over the years, learning many of her first words by repeating the curses that floated to her while ship and crew sank. It had been one of those self-same ships that brought Chloe here. “Tempting fate, aren’t we Mom?” she had asked as the two boarded a discrete ocean-liner. Arrival had been equally discrete, moving into her dorm just the previous night. As such she had no idea what to expect and her mind envisioned terrible and fearsome monsters with multiple heads breathing fire. She had read way too many stories.

She was totally unprepared then when she ran into Pandora. Her little feet were taking her a mile a minute. She had already found her way to her first classroom with some teacher named Rumplemister or something like that. Hoping to somehow slip into the class unnoticed, she had opened the door as quietly as she was able. Empty.

“Crap, the assembly,” she had chided herself, remembering the announcement just ten minutes before and consulting the map, the young siren had once again begun making quick tracks. At least she wasn't running on sand.

Pandora’s stunning gaze was an unexpected obstacle. She let out a little shriek, the sound subtly carrying her surprise and fright in an almost palpable tenor. Full stop, face to face, the daughter of Poseidon and Peisinoe, fell into the most intense gaze she had ever seen. It wasn’t the eyes themselves, it was something else, something that pulled at her, commanded her instant and full attention--and then it was gone. Before her was a rather normal looking girl, save for the hair that moved and turned on its own. Chloe had just enough time close her mouth, still agape from the shock, before embarrassment set in.

“I.. I’m sorry.. shit... “ she stammered, beside herself. One of the few people outside her mother and aunts she had even met and this happened. She said a silent prayer to her father and hoped the feathers on her head were not too ruffled.

Sam tilted his head to one side, his hands crossed over his chest. "I'm guessing that the classes on subtlety aren't that good." He was standing in the Maulitorium; having navigated there with him map successfully. Students were filing in from five different entrances around the massive room; some in classes behind instructors, just as many coming in alone as he was or in little groups.

The Maulitorium itself was modeled after the old Great Halls of ancient architecture; far longer than it was wide. It had a high vaulted ceiling and the rafters were hung with flags of varying nations, banners proclaiming this award or a sports' team winning that trophy/championship, and massive chandeliers that glowed with lamps and candles. Sconces along the walls held further candles and torches; gripped by various severed, skeletal, or monstrous hands that would occasionally wave them at students who drew too close. The walls were decorated with an odd assortment of items; pictures of teachers, famous monsters and donors to the school, and artifacts such as weapons and items taken from famous monsters, used on them, or otherwise associated with the supernatural past and heritage of the Academy. Here and there a preserved head or other body part of a terrible beast or monster hunter was displayed.

There were long tables set with benches and the occasional chair for the students. The tablecloths and other decorations were all in dark reds; most a few shades away from the color of freshly pooled blood. At the far end was a raised stone dais that held the high table for the faculty and guests of honor.

He took in the sight of the place for a few more moments and then walked in to find a place to sit. He hadn't had a chance to get to his first class yet; and wouldn't have recognized his teacher if they were here since he hadn't met them at this point. So he'd just have to try and find a spot that was open and didn't look prone to immediately breaking out into some kind of trouble.

Lenore rolled her eyes slightly at his teasing words on Van Helsing, making a bit of a face. "Yeah, he and I are just the bestest of friends. Just because there's a little family bad blood..." She trailed off, realizing the rather bad usage of the phrase. "Ugh. Well, at least I know now that I'll have you in there to keep me entertained..." She smirked again with that, her closed parasol now being used to prod him gently in the ribs. "I thought teachers threw erasers and things at students. Not shoot crossbows at them... Maybe you need to watch out too, hmm, Hound Dog?"

Glancing over her shoulder as other students filed down the halls to head for the Maulitorium, she managed a light shrug at his suggestion of following suit. The comment on fresh meat, however, earned a chuckle from her throat. "And now you ask me to behave? You're the one talking about them like they're the snack bar." Sighing, she perched the parasol over her shoulder, watching the thinning hallways as the more dutiful students complied to the announcement's request, her attention falling on a few of the more unfamiliar faces. "If it gets boring in there, though... I'm finding entertainment of my own. Take that how you want, Puppy."

It was fun messing with him.

Scanning the room for a moment as she stepped through one of the numerous entries into the space, she frowned just a tad at the lack of free chairs in the large room. The candleholders seemed just as surprised; flexing and fidgeting, a few of the more skittish fingers seeming so close to losing their candles. Working her way over to one of her favorite tables, Lenni nonchalantly reached up to help one of the shivering hands readjust on its cargo. "Let's leave the fires to the flammable students, fella."

That poor dragon kid last year... When he got a cold, everyone suffered along with him.

"Good mooorning students!" The short rotund figure of Mrs Grubber swayed out at the front of the room, the raised platform acting as a bit of a stage allowing the student body a better view of the petite woman. "Today, we'll be helping our newest students feel more comfortable with their new schooool!"

Lenni groaned softly, resting her forehead into her palm as she leaned on the table, peeking up to see some other bodies shuffling onto the stage while the faculty fidgeted at their own table. She rolled her eyes again. time to start plotting...

"I'd like to introduuuce you to your teachers! You've all certainly met our headmaster, Dean Heinrich-"

"Yo, Heinie!"
Lenore stifled a laugh with that, glancing over to see one of the human students grinning like a fool at his own outburst... Though the now standing Dean held his head high enough to give a much-deserved glare in the proper direction.

The shout, however, did little to cease Grubber, who was already moving along to introduce more of the faculty. "Many of you know our Teacher in Restraint 101; a man with quite the history, Doctor Van Helsing..." She smiled as he stood, but received no reaction from the man. "Our Biology teacher, Mister Imhotep..." With that, a large man in a suit stood, seeming rather normal- aside from the various bandages that wrapped his head and exposed hands. "For those of you taking Social Interactions, Doctor Griffin is...Oh, come on now, Jack. Put your jacket and hat back on at least so they can see you! You silly thing! Beside him, we have Doctor Zorka in technologies and robotics, and on the end our newest teacher, Mister Muhlheim, in theatre. Still with the mask, Erik? Ahh... Oh! And I even teach a class, students! I teach Home Wreck. I mean, Home Ec! Lots of tasty recipes!" A sudden pause fell to the exhuberant woman, her gaze landing on another person just off the little stage. "Ooh! Come up here! Yes, you! The students should know you as well!" Clapping again as the Tutu-clad man stepped up onto the stage, a mop in one hand and a strange smirk on his deformed face, Grubber gestured toward the newcomer with a smile. "This here is our head custodian, Mister Ferd... But we all know him by his nickname, Toxie."

"So... does this mean we're done now, or-" Lenore started to grumble to herself, only to groan once more as the woman continued to talk; this time on how new students were invited to ask questions of their teachers before being paired off with a higher student for assistance. "Wait, what? Ohhh, no. I am NOT playing babysitter to some newblood. I'm outta here." Pushing her chair back with a shove of her foot, she quickly started from her seat, glancing to Edgar on her way through. "You comin', Poochie?," She asked flatly, not caring if others heard or not. "Or you planning to be a teacher's pet this year, hm?"

Ugh, those nicknames of hers were always a surefire way of getting under Edgar's skin, and the pesky little vampire knew this all too well. Still, aside from letting out an annoyed sigh and showing subtle hints of a disdain for the names, the lycanthrope was managing to keep from displaying those feelings. Not that it mattered, he supposed, since she already knew by now just how to push at his buttons. Damned bloodsuckers.

At her reluctant compliance for attending the assembly, along with the following admission of making her own entertainment should it lose her interest, the dark-haired male simply rolled his eyes while droning, "Oh, I can only imagine your brand of entertainment, Lenore. And you know the 'new meat' thing was a figure of speech. It's not like I've ever thought of actually sinking my teeth into any of my classmates, unlike certain people I could mention."

The returning student spared a glance over his shoulder at the pale skinned vampire, narrowing his eyes slightly following his accusation. Edgar didn't know if she had or would do anything to anyone in school, especially those like himself whose biology would make them immune to vampiric infection, but he did notice the way she looked at some of the student body.

Finding a seat not too far removed of Lenni to be one of the few remaining after a good chunk, if not all of the students had piled into the maulitorium, Edgar leaned back and slumped down slightly into his chair as Mrs. Grubber swayed out and onto the stage to begin the assembly. The faculty members were strutted out for introduction, which held minimal interest for a returning student such as himself. Granted, the occasional 'Heinie' taunt always managed to bring a smirk to his features. So there was that. And despite being not exactly being the troublemaker type, he did take the opportunity to shield his mouth from the faculty with one hand while booing the custodian halfheartedly when it was his turn to be introduced.

At the announcement of having returning students help out with escorting new arrivals, Edgar felt a slight annoyance at having to be put out by needing to show around a new kid, but had otherwise seemed fairly accepting of the hopefully short term arrangements.

Lenore, on the other hand, didn't seem to be taking the idea as warmly. Letting out a groan, the lycan actually tried making himself inconspicuous for a few moments, but she already knew, more or less, where he was seated. Really shouldn't have offered to walk here together.

"Will you cut it out with the dog names..." He grumbled to himself at the 'Poochie' remark, tapping his fingers upon the table for a few seconds before reluctantly complying after giving an almost apologetic glance in the direction of the faculty.

"Well, I can always find out who I'm being paired with later. And I guess somebody needs to make sure she doesn't stuff a bunch of bats into Van Hellsing's desk or something." The dark-haired male rationalized, speaking mostly to himself, rather than anyone sitting nearby which may have overhead as he stood from his seat and started following the vamp outside.

Trailing a step behind her, hands stuffed into his jacket pocket and trying to ignore anyone that may be looking their way as they left, Edgar finally asked once they were on the other side of the doors, "Dare I ask where you think you're going?"

Pandora quickly averted her gaze, pulling her aviator's back down onto her nose squarely and finally pulling out the blasted map. Safely covered, she took another look at the stranger who was no longer stunned by her gaze. Another bird....the last one had been none too friendly but this one seemed much more genuine, for all that her feathers were sticking up a bit. She supposed that was only due to shock.

She realized the girl was apologizing and the snakes that had shrunk away, coiled to spring forward relaxed into their normal, semi-alert writhing. Her face flushed pink as the girl met her gaze again.

"Oh! No need to apologize, it's really all my fault. I should know better than to wander around without my glasses when I'm distracted. If anything, I owe you an apology. Forgive me." Giving the pretty girl another once over, she dicided she was if not safe, pleasant. It isn't as though any of the students here are going to be normal anyway, she chastised herself mentally.

"I'm Pandora," she said with a sweet smile, extending a hand that looked like cream next to the avian girl's bronzed complexion, "and I rather think we're both late."

Sam watched two of the older students slip out of the...he was just going to call it an auditorium and screw that weird ass name, and none too subtly. "Well, that's interesting." None of the teachers seemed to have noticed or cared. Which meant he was toast. If they didn't stop students from leaving the first public gathering in front of all the other students, they'd do jack shit to keep him from being pounded into dirt by his classmates. "On your own again, Hancock," he muttered. "Quelle suprise."

On the stage, Mrs. Grubber just beamed. "Now then, while we do understand you're all vigorous young people and kids will be kids, we do need to maintain discipline." Her smile seemed to widen on that last word; spoken in an almost lingering, eager way. "Ms. Vladimir and Mr. Talbot are currently demonstrating exactly the kind of behavior that we just don't tolerate. We like to be...kind at first and...harsh later, so we will give you some time to find your way to proper behavior." Her smile became so wide it was almost impossible; looking more like she was about to bite someone's head off than a pleasant expression, "About 10 seconds for certain parties," she cooed, "but once that time is up, we won't hesitate to punish misbehavior."

Dean Heinrich stood up from his seat then and cleared his throat; his body lifting the head up so it could be seen from the entire room, "Thenk you, Mrs. Grubber. Und now, students, we come to a few lest pieces of business. Zose of you who are new here vill be partnered vis an experienced student to help you adjust and acclimate." There were groans from old and new students alike. Heinrich's face darkened, "Zose who do not care for zuch duty will remember zat zey benefitted from zuch a partnership when vey were new." The head nodded, almost tipping in the hands, "Zose not interested vill be referred to Doctor Van Helsing for...encouragement of school spirit."

Ten clawed fingers tapped out a rhythm on the table. Gillian was bored. The only thing of interest at this year's assembly was that Lenni and Edgar had slipped out together - and that wasn't too different. The vampiric beauty was a favorite among all the males here, the possibility of having blood removed not withstanding.

One of the other people at her table sighed and leaned forward, face resting on a set of tentacles. "Man, when are they going to can the chat? This is sooooo dull!"

From the stage, the headmaster and Mrs. Grubber were starting to read off names, matching previous students up with new students to help them learn the ropes. "It doesn't look like it'll be too long," she said softly, her claws stopping their motion on the table. "They're getting through the list pretty well."