daybreakacademy | WINTER TERM OPENING CEREMONY AND CLASS START

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WINTER TERM OPENING CEREMONY AND CLASS START

WINTER TERM OPENING CEREMONY AND CLASS START
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The snowfall has only intensified as Daybreak moves into the first day of Winter Term classes. A school-wide orientation will be held in the auditorium, followed by an open period where tours will be given to new students by student volunteers. After a noon lunch in the main hall, short introduction classes will be held where the syllabi will be distributed and professors can give a brief overview of what they’ll be covering over the term.

A. ORIENTATION ASSEMBLY

With a new school year comes a fresh address. The orientation assembly is one of the few times that the Headmistress and High Seer, Mila Duchene, speaks to the gathered faculty and students about their purpose and why they’ve been found and gathered here. About how Nightfall looms ever closer, and how together they will be the flames who light the coming darkness.

It is, in the manner of many orientation speeches, fairly long-winded. Those who have been here for more than a year have likely heard this speech before, though it’s slightly more urgent this time. Maybe it’s a good time to get to know the people on either side of you a little better while the Headmistress talks, because you’ll be here for a while. Or maybe you’ve planned ahead, and you have something to entertain you at orientation - much to the shared entertainment or dismay of others in your vicinity, perhaps.

Or you could actually be listening to the speech. It’s up to you.

B. SCHOOL TOUR

For students fresh to the academy, the sprawling nature and architecture of Daybeak Academy can be quite intimidating. Fortunately, helpful student volunteers have been tapped to help escort the new students around and give them a feel for campus. Student volunteers are typically chosen for both their experience on campus and helpful nature. While some scripts are provided, students are encouraged to ad-lib and put their own spin on campus and what they like about it. New students are, of course, encouraged to ask as many questions as they can to make sure they fully understand and familiarize themselves with the campus as quickly as possible.

C. SNACK STATION

During the first three days after the Holiday break, throughout the campus grounds are small stations manned by the kitchen staff and volunteers, the smell of hot chocolate, cider, and frying bread fills the air, stirring the appetite and promising warmth on this cold winter’s day.

Every booth has hot chocolate, some spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, others rich and creamy, but always with an option for marshmallows, peppermint bark or caramel drizzles - with non-alcoholic hot cider for those with an allergy to chocolate. For food options, naturally being France there are crepes of all types and beignets on offer, with jam- or custard-filled berliners, while those looking for a more savory fare will be treated to rissoles - a fried bread stuffed with minced meat or bechamel sauce and cod.

While the drinks are on tap and readily available, it may take a few moments to get the treats out, so might as well make conversation while a fresh batch is made.

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I am really good at moving furniture now. I just uh. Also break it half the time.

[ There might be a dented chair somewhere in here, just saying. Anyway. He gladly holds it out to her, showing her the dials! It draws from a small vial set into it, basically a teeny tiny cartridge with clear fluid in it. ]

Shoots webs. Synthetic ones. I mean, I still make 'em, but with chemicals and stuff.

[Orihime is clearly impressed as well as interested.]

You made this...? Wow, you're really smart, Peter!

[She might get good grades, but designing something like this goes far beyond academic smarts. Her finger hovers curiously over the dial, but she doesn't touch it since she would feel really bad if she set it off or broke it.]

[She does touch his wrist, though, just to see if he's as sticky as he claims, but his skin feels normal.]

So...it's kind of like a mini-net-launcher for catching monsters and villains?

[ She's got one up on Kano, then, who is going to borrow one and immediately break it. Thanks, Kano. You're a pal.

His wrist is normal! Just plain ol' human flesh and blood. If she wants, he'll unhook it for her? Here, get a better look at it. ]

Sort of like that? I also use it to swing around New York.

[She smiles, inclining her head in thanks as she slows to a walk. They've still got plenty of time, and she'd rather have a seat all the way to the side and back rather than a guilty conscience over dropping Peter's superhero equipment. She examines the shooter with keen interest, noting just how small the cartridge is. Part of her really wants to push the button, but she refrains. There's no telling whether the chemicals he needs are rare or expensive, so she won't waste it.]

[Her head jerks up at the mention of New York.]

You mean...like Robin Hood does? Except with a web instead of ropes or chandeliers?

[Oh no he's so cool!]

That would be so much fun...! Can you do it with trees too? If there's time after the tours, I'd love to see how it works!

[ That's a surprisingly specific reference, but okay, he's into it. Why not? ]

Exactly like that. I mean, I'm better at buildings than trees? But I can teach you on whatever. Just be careful not to dislocate your shoulder or something.

[He's...going to teach her...?]

[He's going to teach her!]

[This might be one of the best days of her whole life.]

Y...yes! Yes, please, I would love it so much!

[She clasps her hands together, fingers curled protectively over the shooter. ...Oh, right, she should give that back. She hands him the tech with a sheepish smile.]

Don't worry, I'm really sturdy. And I learn fast, I won't get hurt! Thank you so much!

[ Yes, please don't accidentally break it. At least not until he shows her how to actually use it. He accepts the shooter back, sliding it nearly onto his wrist. ]

Okay, okay. Cool. We can do it now if you want?

[ He glances back at the tour they kind of wandered off from. Eh. He's not missing anything important, probably. ]

Well...

[She doesn't want to get in trouble, but no one seems all that upset. Besides, the temptation to learn something cool is just too strong for her to resist. It only takes two seconds for her to make up her mind.]

Sure! It's better to do it now than before we get piles of homework, right?

[And the woods around campus are something she needs to check out anyway if she's going to engage in any secret training later. Hopefully no one gets the wrong impression about seeing her run off into the forest with a boy.]

[ That's more or less his thought process too. Do all this fun stuff before the homework starts crushing him. ]

Start with trees then? Uh ...

[ Yep, there's the woods around campus. He sets off in that direction. ]

Let's race!

[Why not? It's fun and it gets them to the woods that much faster. He'll probably beat her with his super strength, but she's athletic and healthy, so she'll give him a challenge.]

[Once they reach the snowy glades, Orihime's nice and warm from the exercise, a little breathless, and more enthusiastic than ever.]

It's probably a good thing that it's winter, so you can clearly see which branches will be the sturdiest. How do you start?

[ He is less fast on foot than he is swinging, but. Okay, sure! He'll give her a good run of it, and if he gets there first or she does, it really doesn't matter. He's laughing and breathing hard, thoroughly warmed up. This is kinda fun. ]

Okay - okay. Lemme get you started.

[ He thwips out a web at a nearby tree branch that looks like it'll hold their weight. Then he shimmies his wrist out of the shooter, offering it to her. ]

Just kinda - pick up your feet and swing forward.

Okay, I can do that!

[She slips the shooter onto her slim wrist, then gives the web a test tug. As light and thin as the spider silk is, it holds fast and doesn't seem like it's going to fall apart. She backs up until she's standing on her toes, then sprints forward and jumps up, clinging to the web with her other hand to get her higher up as she yanks her knees toward her chest.]

[And off she goes, hair and skirts fluttering behind her as she swings forward...and back, like a pendulum, twisting slightly to the left, then the right. It definitely looks like she's having fun, even as the swinging grows shorter and shorter until she's left slowly spinning on the long web strand.]

Ah ha ha ha!

[She touches her sneaker to the ground before easing her other foot down, standing up and staggering. She's a little bit dizzy from the spinning at the end, but her face is flushed from the brief rush. She's sure there's more to it than this, but for now, it's fun.]

[She slips the shooter off her hand and walks it back to Peter.]

Okay, your turn! Show me the right way to do it~

[ Look, he can't even blame her. That's exactly what he did when he first engineered these things, with basically the same results. It's a hell of a lot of fun for sure. He beams from his spot on the sidelines as he watches her. ]

You're pretty close already? But you gotta like - keep moving forward if you wanna keep going. Tug on it to detach and then aim for the next spot.

[ He accepts the webshooter back, checking its settings to make sure it's still working fine. Then he aims it back at that same tree, catching the branch and swinging forward. And then, once he's past it, at the height of the swing, he flicks his wrist sharply to undo it, thwipping out again to the next branch. Otherwise, there's not a whole lot of difference? His form is better for sure, since he has more practice with getting a good parabola out of his swings. But mostly it's a matter of catching the next branch and going onward. He does a nice circle around her before swinging up onto a branch and perching there, looking down at her. ]

[Orihime's head is tipped back as she grins up at him. While he can claim that he's just had more practice, it's pretty easy to see that he's got a lot of dexterity and grace. He isn't just some awkward gangly teen, the movements were smooth. He doesn't even wobble when he finds a branch to perch on! She holds her hand up to her brow to shield her eyes.]

It looks easy after watching you! I'm filled with false confidence!

[She turns her head to study the trees, trying to map out which branches she should aim for in advance.]

Can I try it again?

[She's got a foot on the trunk of the tree he's in, looking for a branch to grab to pull herself upward. Maybe she just needs to start out a little higher.]

[ He hides his muscles pretty well under his demeanor and those clothes, but seeing him in motion? Probably makes his gymnast's build quite apparent. Also makes it pretty obvious that there's something supernatural going on here. Even professional gymnasts don't quite move like that.

Anyway. He hangs out on the branch for a moment. Removing a webshooter and tossing it down. It's fine if she misses; it won't get damaged if it lands in the grass. ]

Yeah, sure. See if you can get up here too at the end.

[ That ... might be a little much but! If she gets close, he can always give her a hand up. ]

[She fumbles for it, almost drops it, but manages to hook it with her finger. Phew! Slipping it back on, she flexes her fingers to get them warmed up.]

Okay! Challenge accepted!

[She's only a couple of inches up off the ground, but that should give her a good start. Turning her head, she can see where a few of the gossamer strands are lightly floating from where Peter stuck them to the branches, so that helps to map out a path for her. Short swings, she decides, are probably best. If she shoots a web too far away, she'll just swing face first into the ground because the web will be too long.]

[She squares her shoulders and closes one eye as she holds out her wrist, palm up, and fires an arc of web. Since she had time to aim, the web sticks true, and she smiles triumphantly.]

Yosh...!

[And off she goes! She swings out, keeping her knees up, but kicking out to give herself more momentum. She jerks her hand, and for a few breathless moments she's just flying through the air. Her stomach swoops, and the feeling is exhilarating. Quickly she fires again, but there's a thin branch in front of the thick one she was aiming for. It snaps. She tumbles into the snow.]

Ow ow ow...

[She doesn't seem like she's injured. Instead she just gets up, brushes off some snow, then fires again completely undaunted. She takes off at a run and jumps, swings, detaches and fires...and she's starting to get into the rhythm of it!]

[But...she's not able to make a circling arc like Peter. She just keeps going straight, further and further, with a distant 'YAY!']

[Welp. Bai Orihime.]

[ She was doing really well for a second there? Like, Peter was legitimately impressed. Swinging around is way harder than he makes it look, for sure, and it's honestly harder (if much safer) to do it among the trees where it's hard to build up height. But hey, she's doing it! With a minimum of faceplants, even, nice job.

And then she just. Keeps. Going. Um. He sort of watches her for a few minutes, hoping she'll loop around? Frankly he watches her for too damn long. By the time he thinks "oh wait, I should go after her," he's got a hell of a ways to go to catch up. ]

Orihime? Hey! Orihime! Wait up!

[ He zips down from his perch, thwipping off after her. At least he's faster than her? But. This could take a little while. ]

[She does *want* to turn, but she isn't too sure how to do it. The risk of running face-first into a tree seems that much greater, and she did promise not to get hurt. So the smartest thing would be to just stop and turn around, then go back the way she came.]

[But the feeling is addictive. She's always wished she could fly, and the dreams where she got to jump into the sky were the ones she cherished most. This is the closest she's ever got to the real thing. She loves the way the wind feels in her hair, and that exciting swooping feeling in her stomach when she detaches at the height of her arc.]

[She notices that Peter's caught up to her out of the corner of her eye. Once she's caught another branch with a web, she shoots him a quick grin before facing forward again.]

Ah ha ha, sorry! I got carried away! Do you want me to land?

[ Look, man, he can't blame her. He's having a hell of a time himself, in fact; it's been a while since he's really been out and about with his webs. He just thwips up to her, and ... what the heck, let's just keep going. This is almost soothing for him. ]

Nah, man, keep going. You're doing great.

[ They are either going to run out of trees or get horribly lost. But that's a problem for future Peter! ]

[She grins, eyes twinkling, and has no problem whatsoever with that decision. The further they go, the easier this gets for her. She wasn't kidding about being a fast learner. She learns to keep her legs together to knife through the air with an upward arc, to spread her arms and relax when she's coming down to keep from falling too fast, to tighten her abdomen when she kicks up.]

[It's pure, unrestrained freedom. He has no idea how grateful she is for letting her experience something like this just once. She can't wait to tell Tatsumaki and her brother all about it.]

Flying high five attack!

[As they seem to be sharing the same arc, Orihime sticks out her hand, because this kind of high five will be the best kind of high five.]

[ She really is enjoying this, isn't she? Not that he's surprised - he loves the feeling too, that sensation of almost flying along the ground or through the city - but someone actually being able to share it with him is unusual. He's never swung side by side with anyone in his life. Even if he could convince someone to do it back home, it wouldn't be a good idea. He'd gotten in so much trouble for his own jaunts through NYC...

So it's nice. It's really nice. Both to swing with someone else, and also to watch someone who is enjoying this as much as he is. He's kind of caught up in the feeling for a moment, not really watching where he's going.

Is she saying something? Oh, shit, she's saying something. Better swing in a little closer. ]

Yeah, okay, high five!

[ He's giving her a high five! This is totally the best kind of high five!! ]

[Their palms connect with a crisp slap, and that's the cherry on today's awesome sundae.]

Ah ha ha ha!

[There's a sudden 'WHUMP' and then Orihime isn't there anymore. She's doubled over on a thick tree branch she almost got herself over, but not quite. The wind is knocked out of her, but she sure looks happy for someone with intense stomach cramps.]

[At least she got up on a branch? She'll take it as a quasi-victory. Trying to get her leg up on the tree limb takes several tries, but none are successful. So she edges her way toward the trunk itself, silk still trailing from the wrist shooter, until she can plant the sole of her sneaker against the rough bark and hoist herself up to straddle the branch and wheeze for breath. She waves her arm to show she's okay. See? No dislocated shoulders anywhere!]

[ Oops. He - probably should have tried to help but he was so distracted by their awesome midair high-five. ]

Orihime! Are you okay?

[ He loops around one of the trees in front of them, doing a reasonably graceful backflip up onto the branch she's landed on. Once there, he crouches down to help?? If she needs it, anyway.

That branch tho. It cracks ominously under their combined weight. ]

Yes! I just wasn't paying attention, I'm okay!

[She keeps one hand on the branch to steady herself, her other arm curled around her stomach. She didn't throw up, hooray!]

That looked really cool. I hope you're not holding back your talent for my sake!

[She blinks. That crack. Oh, um. Right. She's kind of heavy, isn't she? Orihime holds her breath, then carefully lifts her arm to point the web shooter to the side, looking for another branch to latch onto. Maybe they should talk on the ground instead...]

[C R A A A AAAAA C K]

[ Okay, good. Because he knows from experience how much it hurts to have the wind knocked out of you on a good swing like that. ]

No way, I was definitely going as fast as I could. You were pretty good.

[ That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but. Well. He's not great at swinging through trees, so it's kind of the truth too? He opens his mouth to say something else - just in time for the tree branch to give way. He falls with a yelp, faceplanting directly into the ground below. ]

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