Out of Character

A tall young man with dark brown hair stood amidst his school mates, new and old, clutching the dagger sheathed inside his belt as he stared at the large group of adult wizards before the students. He looked around the grand hall of the castle, mesmerized by the intricate stonework of the place. He had been here to this castle what had seemed a million times before, but, especially after a long summer with his family, the man had always found this hall to be the best part about returning to the castle each fall.

"I hope that the headmaster decides to wrap this up soon... I do not want to hear everyone complain about this once we get to our chambers..."

The young man's soft brown eyes averted from the walls to the front of the room, where an old man stood on a gray stone rise in the floor. The man's robes fluttered half-heatedly around his ankles as he waited for the last of the students to cram into the hall so that he, the head of the school, could speak to the collection of brilliant young minds that filled the room. The man's electric blue eyes scanned each face, a pleasant look on his own bearded head as he memorized the way the older students had changed and the new arrivals looked, his mind etching a mental picture of the moment.

A slim, indifferent-eyed girl with cheap, burgundy-red dye in her hair tuned out the headmaster's speech as she leaned carelessly against the wall, holding herself and slightly shivering--why did they have to make it so dang cold in here?

Then she remembered that, like a cold-blooded snake, she was always cold, unless it was ninety degrees outside, which was unusual, as she was hardly very snakelike. She often likened herself to other animals, impressive ones like tigers or lions...sometimes people said she was like a mule, but they tended to mysteriously wind up in the hospital wing.

The headmaster continued to speak, and the girl, Zelmire, continued to ignore, taking a rock from her pocket and placing it in one of her hands, which was cold, hard, and made of some sort of alloy. She watched it levitate and do a couple of flips. It wasn't that interesting--she'd rather be yakking with her friends, sneaking a beer, or sleeping with someone--but for now, it would have to keep her entertained.

The headmaster stopped speaking, his bright blue eyes moving to the small stone that flipped and flew through the air, an amused smirk starting to appear on the old man's face. "I guess my little speech is getting boring," the man said, reaching out his hand as if to pull the stone out of the air, "but there is no need to throw things students."

The headmaster clutched his fist around an empty space ahead of him, and, through some unseen force, the piece of metal alloy that was flying halfway across the room froze in mid-air, suspended about three feet over a teenage girl's head. "However, since I have already gone over the rules, I guess the only way to relieve this pressing burden the wandering teenage mind is forcing on you is to release you. Eat, socialize, and go to your chambers, for tomorrow is your first day of classes.

Ikki stood on the side of the wall practically ignoring every word the headmaster said. 'Blah blah blah...come on lets get this over with already.' She thought to her self. This was her second year here at Hexer, last year the speech wasn't as boring...but this year...I just got worse and worse. She wore the usual, her gray bikini top with to-big black shorts that went past her knees. Her feet were bandaged as always, If you ever saw her feet it would be a miracle.

Her scythe was strapped to her back under her bikini strap. She scanned the room for any new kids. She saw Jacob...she knew him since last year...but the person she saw next she didn't know. When the Headmaster noticed the the girl and dismissed the speech she smirked and made her way over to her. "Hey...if it wasn't for your rock I think we would be in here for another hour...Ikki...ikki Raider".

"Oh, come on!" Zelmire groaned as she had her plaything confiscated. Finally, after all those painstaking minutes, the speech was over, so she guessed one good thing did come with it.

She turned her head and her eyes widened with interest as a girl walked up and introduced herself as Ikki Raider. She was wearing shorts and a bikini top (very nice, mhmm, very nice indeed.)

After giving Ikki a look-over, Zelmire smirked and said, "Hehe...yeah, that's what I was hoping for. I'm Zelmire Glasgow, by the way."

Ikki laughed as her play toy was taken. " Nice to meet you...Zel...Sorry but I'm not good with names...So everyone has a nick name". She smiled as she looked around. "We should get out of here, before we get floored by lame freshman..who love to try and show off...idiots". She mumbled as she signaled her to follow. Getting out side she sighed. "So whats your magic type?".

She ran her hand along her scythe as a the makings on it lighted up and her hand came up with a ball of air. "This would be astro magic".

Akira had taken a seat alone in the hall. His eyes scanned the room and constantly darted to the head master. He didn't want to be in the school. He wanted to run. Run as far as he could and never look back. The magical slave binding on his right s houlder burned painfully. his hand flew to it and rubbed the mark gently. Everytime he thought of fleeing it would burn and remind him of his duty.

He whimpered low under his breath at his misery. Always forced to so t hings he hated. He had done horrible things just to complete his master's wish. Maybe he would find some way to free himself in this school. The mark burned with new intensity, nearly making him cry out. So far, everything the head master had said flew past him. He looked up and saw two girls chatting. He hadn't looked up in time to see the whole comotion about the rock. If he wanted anything completed, he would have to make friends unfortunatly. Good thing he had his charm.

He stood and walked over to them. "Hello. I am new here. You don't have to go about and lecture me or what not. I just want to know if we could be friends? My name is Akira," he smiled shyly.

Analeigh was one of the few students actually paying attention to what the headmaster was saying. She was new to Hexer, so she wanted to make sure that she knew as much as she could about the school and everything to do with magic.

It all fascinated her so much, ever since she realized her abilities at the age of 3; She began throwing a temper tantrum because she couldn't stay up later, and suddenly her rocking horse caught on fire. Her parents were ecstatic that their baby girl had inherited their magical abilities, although Analeigh's already seemed advanced for a 3 year old. Needless to say, Ana got to stay up well past her bed time.

Ana frowned as the headmaster decided to cut his speech short, much thanks to a rock that had been enchanted to flip and float in mid-air. Ana's gaze fell upon two girls standing together, along with a boy who had just approached them. She decided to approach the group, how else would she get to know anyone?

"Hey...Sorry if I'm interrupting anything...I'm Analeigh, or Ana to most people." Ana smiled, introducing herself to the group. She absentmindely fiddled with the purple ring she always wore around her right hand ring finger. The ring changed colors, according to her mood, and right now it was a soft purple color with a small hint of blue and yellow. She was excited, calm, and a little bit nervous about this new adventure.

Ikki turned to face the new boy who came up to them. 'Oh hi, I'm Ikki, Nice to meet you...Aki...yea that name fits you, sorry I'm bad with remembering names". She gave the peace sign and smiled. Then another girl came up to her. 'Guess me and Zell are very attractive or we have a sign saying come join us...oh well' She though to her self. "Ana...now that's a name I can remember...nice to meet you...I'm Ikki...call me what ever you want...I don't really care much".

"Terramancy," said Zelmire. "I can do a few things with emotions, too, but it's too hard and kind of pointless."

She was about to say more, but a boy came up to her and Ikki, and she lost her train of thought. "Hey there, Akira, I'm Zelmire, and I'd love to be friends...more than friends, even," she smirked suggestively, moving closer and nudging him slightly, not even the least bit embarrassed when another girl came to where they were starting to gather a small group.

"Not at all, Ana, interrupt all you like. The more the merrier, I always say..."

She thought about adding in bed to the end of that, but, at the last minute, decided not to.

The brown-haired boy watched bemused as the rock was suspended mid-air by the headmaster and scanned the area for the people responsible for the disturbance that had gotten them out of his long-winded speech. He slipped through freshmen after freshman, searching for the center of the disturbance, following the chat that erupted in the hall.

There, facing away from him, he recognized a girl that he had passed several times before in the hall, a cute one that always had a scythe at her side and more skin revealed than most of the other students. "Still pushing the dress code I see," he chimed as he approached the group, nudging two more first-years out of the way before finally standing amidst the group.

The boy smiled, looking at each of the people in the group in turn, nodding as he said to the mages-in-training, "My name is Jacob by the way, but call me Jake."

Ana smiled at Ikki and Zelmire and the boy whose name she had yet to receive.

"Nice to meet you all. Very unique names...I like them. Zel, you can control emotions? I can make people feel happy, but only if I'm happy and peaceful. I don't really know what they would call my abilities...I've never heard of anyone with similar ones." Ana pondered this for a moment, wondering if she was the first to show these powers.

"Oh, hi Jake. I'm Analeigh...Ana. Nice to meet you...Have you attended Hexer previously? It's just that you seem to be familiar with people around here." Ana offered the boy a smile.

"I can do emotions a bit, but like I said, I usually just stick to moving rocks and things, 'cause that's easier," Zelmire explained to Ana. "You seem to have pretty much mastered your ability, though. You're making me happy already...in the pants," she added crudely, an even bigger, more scandalous smile spreading across er face than the one she'd had on before. It would be hard for someone to tell whether or not she was joking.

She turned to look as yet another mage joined the small gathering. She'd seen him before in her previous years at Hexer, but had never met him formally, which now seemed a shame, as he was rather cute (along with about half the student body). "Nice to finally meet you, Jake. Not that I've been stalking you or anything, I think we just might have had a class together once, or maybe a lunch period. So, how was your summer?"

"Well, I was here last year, if that counts," Jake said, smiling back at the blue-eyed girl as he reached his left hand behind his long red cloak and pulled out a steel dagger, twisting it in his hand to show the polished blue sheen to the girl. He reached his other hand up through the red cloth and scratched the back of his head, mumbling to the group as he remembered the little stipulation to returning to the school, "Not that I am complaining Zel, but it was good until I got a bit of news a week ago. I have to take a remedial ethics class this year after I nearly blew up last year's dessert tray right out of the cook's hands. However, I am not sure if anyone remembers that little fiasco, so I guess I can make up some other story to save myself the embarrassment."

"Pushing the dress code?...always jake always". She laughed as she looked over at Zel, she could tell she was flirting. "I'm liking you more and more zel". She patted her on the back. she stretched her wings on so that they finally showed from under her silver hair. "I can do a little bit of that, I'm good with elemental magic but I master in Astro magic...it's so awesome".

"You are so not allowed to cook Jake no I refuse.. i remember what you did to your cake...trying to 'speed' up cooking". She laughed at the memory. "So wat is everyone else doing...we have any freshmen here".

"Well, we have Ana here, and I literally had to swim through a crowd of them, so yes we do," Jake mused, looking at one of his few people he knew at all from the school now, trying his hardest not to stare at the small wings atop her silver hair that she had inherited from her family, knowing that a scythe awaited people who stared too long.

"Ah yes, remedial ethics class...I landed myself one of those after my first year," said Zelmire. "I learned the most valuable lesson of my life in that class...don't get caught."

Looking back at Ikki, she said, "If you like me now, you should see me when there aren't any teachers tonight...say, maybe, at my dorm, around nine?"

It was beyond even her how she ever managed to flirt with so many people at one time.

That's when she noticed the wings coming out from under Ikki's hair. Staring appreciatively the same way a girl might stare at a guy's biceps or a guy a girl's chest, she asked, "Whoa, so like, can you fly, or do those wings serve a different function?"

"You know Zel, it is hard to get anywhere with any one person when you try to flirt with them all," Jake said as he gave the girl a sour look. She was seriously trying too hard to flirt, almost as if she was mocking everyone with her beauty and her ease around people. "Besides, you should know better than anyone that there is just as much of a chance of you getting put in a room with her for the rest of the year than her deciding to come to your room."

Ana stood back, listening to the exchange between these people. Ana was more of an observer; she doesn't like to just jump into conversations uninvited. She ran a finger across her ring, noticing that the stone was turning to a darker shade of blue. She knew why, too. All these people seemed to know one another, and she knew nobody. She had to leave her friends behind when she came to Hexer. None of them were able to get in, but Ana's parents had her signed up since she was three.

"Ana...I think we have to welcome you properly...don't worry". She patted her on the back. "I had to go through it to, ah that was a day to remember, anyways yes yes Ana...meet at...Jake's dorm at 12 am...yes we are forcing you...no you don't have a say in the matter". She smirked slightly turning to Zel.

"Your room at nine...Sure why not...no harm done". "These wings...not used for flying...I do have wings that I can fly with though...in a way, but these are special...they help me with certain secret moves and spells".