Autumn Jones's Story

Autumn turned to face Dorian. Well, he was... he was actually pretty frightening. She gulped before forcing a smile. He probably wasn't a bad guy. Probably.
"I... I'm Autumn Jones. It's wonderful to meet you." Autumn paused. "So..." Well, she had started the conversation. What now?
"Um, do you... know how to fight? I mean, we're supposed to be warriors and all. It would be cool if someone was prepared for this sort of thing." It would actually be more than cool in her opinion. It would be downright fantastic. A miracle even. It wasn't as if she had any more butter knives with her, so a fighter in the group would be very much welcome.

Maris couldn't believe the things that reached her ears, the images that became clear in her eyes. This place, it was... different. All the talking, too, seemed to be different for the young girl. Glancing at the turquoise stone on her wrist, the little ten-year-old tried to make sense of it all. When they reached this inn of sorts, Maris gave a small, teensy, tiny sigh of relief. Perhaps here she can sort out what was happening.

However, that relief was short lived as people started introducing themselves after they were gathered in a room that they were supposed to be sleeping in together. After Tallyho, Dorian, and Autumn introduced themselves, Maris hung to the back of the group. She was quiet, falling into her thoughts as she listened to the conversations going on, hoping to stick to the back and be unnoticed for a while.

"...Yeah."
Dorian didn't repeat the sentiment because it most certainly was not "wonderful" to meet Autumn Jones or any of them, really. Maybe in a different situation, maybe, like if he'd been lost in the Sahara and they showed up with water and a ride home, but right here and right now? No. Just no.
"Kind of," He answered her question bluntly, shrugging his shoulders, and it wasn't just a sense of humility that kept him from rattling off his dojo, belt, and rank. Simply put, he might have an edge over most of this rag-tag group of people(not that that was very hard considering their was a kid here who was doing her best impression of a toy doll), but he was pretty sure this would be different from a spar at practice or twisting a stupid mugger's wrist.
He only raised an eyebrow when the girl from the tree began to wander off. This was her planet from what he understood, she knew what she was doing and it wasn't his problem right now.

Autumn smiled. "That's great." She said as lightly as possible. Honestly, she wasn't ok with any of this. She was afraid. The fact that he knew how to fight was less comforting than she had expected. The blonde didn't know quite what to think at this point. It was obvious that this was no dream, for she was certain she would have woken up by now. And there was certainly no way back. The most she could do was sit back and accept it with a smile, even if it was forced. She decided she would just try her best until Haru could see that he had made an honest mistake and go off to find some other warrior. Yes, that sounded like the best course of action.

Autumn took the money and looked around her for a moment. "Well, I guess i'll be going then. Does anyone want to come with me?" She asked, glancing at the others. After all, she couldn't go alone. Not that she'd want to. Shopping alone in an unfamiliar area didn't seem to be the most wise idea. Her gaze fell on Dorian. "How about you? Would you mind joining me?"

The bag of coins jingled slightly when Dorian reached out to catch it. Haru apparently didn't believe in hands-on teaching. But it's not like he had much of a choice and he honestly was not prepared for a six day hike. He looked at Autumn for a moment, considering her invitation.
"All right," He said finally, standing up from his bed and tucking the bag of coins safely away into his jacket pocket. He'd probably get lost if he didn't go with someone anyways.

Autumn glanced around the room. She supposed that if anyone wanted to join, they would simply follow. She smiled at Dorian as she put the coins away in her purse. "Thanks for joining me."
The market itself was a lot busier than she had expected. What would she even pack? Well, obviously the outfit she was wearing wouldn't work. It was cute, but rather uncomfortable. So new clothes were a necessity. And food was obviously something she needed. "Hey Dorian." She turned to the boy. "Do you have any suggestions on what to get?"

Dorian gave a little grunt of acknowledgement when Autumn thanked him. It wasn't like he was going out of his way or anything.
It was more crowded than he'd expected, but Dorian pushed his way through the crowd. He craned his neck once they entered the market place, looking over the heads of strangers to see what was being offered. Apparently the answer was just about everything, which made where to start just a bit harder. He was reasonably sure they didn't have to stock up on food, even if the bakery was a temptation. Maybe later...
He glanced down at Autumn as she spoke and replied, "Clothes. To fit in." Because he may have been the only one who noticed, but their Earth clothes were like nothing the Airians wore and had garnered more than a few weird glances. Not only that, but he was also reasonably sure that Armani and hiking do not mix.

Dorian ducked into one of the shops that he'd seen on the way to the inn that sold clothes, not really checking to see if Autumn had followed him in. The quiet was an immediate relief from the crowded bazaar and he relaxed his shoulders minutely before going through the store's wears.
The offered clothing was incredibly different from Earth clothes that he was familiar with. There were no rain jackets to repel water, no blue jeans, not even hiking boots. Instead there were clothes made of cotton, a far cry from his own clothes- designer and otherwise. But, when in Rome...
He eventually found some clothes that were passable in mostly blacks and dark blues as well as a pair of sturdy brown shoes and a large leather bag to carry everything around. It was weird buying his own clothes, especially having to calculate how much he could spend while still having enough to buy other things and even then still having enough to not be completely without money.
Dorian quickly paid for everything, and, slipping his purchases into his new bag, waited for Autumn to finish shopping so that they could move on.

Autumn really did want to go for something extravagant. Something that screamed 'ghosts'. That was her power, right? Or maybe something that looked like November. She may not have liked her situation, but she wasn't going to fight it. If she had to be a warrior then that's what she would be. And if the store offered it, then she would dress to impress. Let the world know of her apparent powers. But Dorian had a point. Fitting in was best. It wasn't as if she could go parading around in a ballgown.

She scanned the clothes before her. She wanted to fit in, but she certainly didn't want to look like she had crawled out of the gutters. Eventually she settled on a simple brown dress with long sleeves. She also found an apron that looked like it would fit. The outfit was rather cheap and not very flattering, but it would have to do.
The pain in her feet reminded her to purchase new shoes. Those flats were just too painful. Autumn looked around, eventually finding a pair of reddish brown boots that were fairly cheap but still well made. They were ugly as sin, which explained their low price, but that didn't really matter. She needed to save money.
Before going to purchase her items, she looked over to Dorian. A new bag? Well, then that was something else she needed. Her purse was fairly small, only slightly bigger than her hand. It could hold a few things, but not enough for a journey. Upon finding a large satchel to carry items in, she had finished her shopping there.
After paying for the items, she looked over to Dorian. "Hey, so I've been thinking. I'm sure that Haru guy has plenty of stuff, but maybe we should get other things just in case. You know, like food or weapons or blankets. Maybe some medical stuff too. Can't be too prepared, right? I was hoping I could stop and get a few of those things with the money I have left. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"That's fine," Dorian said bluntly. In all reality, he wouldn't mind picking up some odds and ends as well, although food and weapons weren't really his priorities. They were going to an Academy after all, and presumably Haru would have told them if it was a BYOW(bring your own weapons) deal. But some other odds and ends might be useful...
He and presumably Autumn found their way back to the bazaar and weaseled their way into the crowd, ducking into stalls, perusing wears, and occasionally haggling with owners. Dorian purchased some medical supplies- mostly bandages since it wasn't like they sold Neosporin and band-aids on Aires-, a few other odds and ends that weren't very noteworthy, and a slice of something advertised as "Banya Bread" because it smelled good. Thankfully it tasted good as well. His bag still wasn't very heavy, but that was probably for the best.
He cut off his spending there, and, with still a good chunk of the original money left from the original amount, found his way back to the inn for the night.

Autumn smiled. "Well, I suppose i'll go then."
"I'm Autumn Jones. I'm from Earth. California to be exact. Let's see here... I'm sixteen..." She lightly tapped her chin and looked to the ceiling. What to say... what to say... "I read tarot cards. I honestly don't know what else to add, so... well there we go. Hi."

Autumn slipped under the covers, not bothering to change. The dress was comfy enough anyways. As she closed her eyes she let out a sigh. She may have been rolling with the punches, but that didn't mean that this whole situation didn't upset her. It was scary. She wanted to go home and curl up in her bed, to go to school and talk to her friends, to think about whether or not that cute guy working at the chinese food place in the mall was really interested in her, to feel safe and secure and at home. But she couldn't get that, no matter what. She realized this by now. Things were changing, and she didn't like it one bit.
She wiped away silent tears, not about to let anyone know she was scared. Fear was a sign of weakness, and she certainly didn't want to be seen as weak. Eventually, the dark fingers of slumber curled around her. Her unease was finally lifted as she was brought into her dreams.

The next morning was ushered in by Haru sweeping through the room, waking the teens up in with awkward nudges of the shoulders.
Tallyho finally opened her eyes which were still weak from sleep. Her locks were fanned out about the pillow, with random strands jolting up from her head in the most rebellious fashion they could muster.
“Hurry up and get your stuff together, and come down to the lobby,” Haru said before the hinges on the doors whined and the sound of Haru hustling down the stairs beat thuds through the room.
Tallyho slid out of the bed and caught her balance on weak legs before she stretched a bit.

The next day was certainly strange. New faces, pink hair, war stories, it was a little much to take in. "I'm afraid I can't fight." Autumn said with a frown. "But i'm willing to learn if it means i'll survive this." She decided to ignore Jackson's comment. She didn't really agree with it. After all, in a world where cats could talk and turn into humans who could say that that girl wasn't powerful? But it really wasn't her place to say.

"Of course they're worth my time. It's my duty after all," Ryou smiled, finally setting Karma down to put his full attention on the month warriors' answers. To his credit, his grin didn't even shrink by one molar as negative answer after negative answer was given.
"I practice Tae-Kwon-Doh," Dorian finally answered when it seemed like no one else was going to speak up. He wasn't actually sure if Ryou would know what that meant at first, but from the way the man perked up, it was apparent that he did.
"Really? What belt?"
"Black belt."
"Excellent!" Ryou beamed, looking well and truly pleased that at least someone had thrown or would admit to throwing a punch in their lives. Dorian just hoped that he wouldn't hug him.
"All right! Thanks for that bit of information, everyone. Now the tour can officially begin. Follow me and, please, don't taunt Karma. She's lived at a training Academy since she was a baby. It's just not wise. Now, let's go!"
With that, Ryou spun around and began to lead the way around the Academy.

While the Academy was not extremely large, as the tour revealed, it had a lot to offer. It was one interlocking building but with a variety of different, large rooms, much like any university or even a mall. Ryou pointed out an armory, a dojo, the library("Only if you have my, Karma's, or one of our elite student's permission. Same goes for the armory," Ryou had warned as they passed by), the dining hall where meals would be served("Come when you're summoned because we don't serve after meal hours . Usually a bell rings when it's meal time"), and a number of other room before he stopped, once more outside the maze-like building. Dorian had a terrible feeling that he'd get lost in the building and they'd never hear from him again.
"These are the dorms for our students. The East dorm is for the boys, West for girls. Simple, right?" Ryou said cheerfully. "You'll be staying on the bottom floor of each dorm where all of our new students stay until they progress through the ranks."
He then pointed at a building a small ways apart from the Academy building.
"That is where I, Karma, and a few others live. If you need help, don't be afraid to pop in. Now, you lot should go get settled, all right? Your rooms are the ones with open doors. Meet me out in the court yard in an hour at the latest."

Autumn was more than disappointed in her room. She sighed heavily. Putting her satchel down, she looked out into the hallway. She really wanted to go home. Clutching her topaz, she shivered as she felt its chill. If only she could throw the rotten thing away. She took out her cards, hoping to get a good reading. And yet, they revealed nothing. They spoke of wealth and job opportunities, but not a way out of this mess. She sighed. Well, that was absolutely worthless. Perhaps she should get changed.
She didn't even notice the walls as she shut the door and changed into her dress. It was a little tight around the chest (which was only natural seeing as her breasts were rather large) and very unflattering, but it would have to do. Perhaps she could buy a new one some time.
Autumn laced up her boots; and once she found that she had run out of things to do, she simply sat down again. For a grand adventure, this was actually pretty dull.

Autumn placed her cards back in her bag before walking outside. She decided to stand next to Dorian and the other blonde. Just what as going to happen? Autumn fidgeted as she looked at Ryou. The man seemed kind enough, but this was supposed to be some sort of training academy. And if she was going to be a warrior, she would have to fight. The very thought made her a bit uneasy.

Autumn looked in awe at the waterfall before her. It was gorgeous! "So what are we going to do here?" She asked, following the man. As pretty as this was, she couldn't really see how this could be applied to training.

After the tour, including his renewed irritation that he needed permission to visit the library, Jackson tossed his bag in a corner of the room and sat down in a huff. He had his own room, which was great, but it was tiny compared to his one at home. His closet was probably this big. His closet full of snacks that he wanted right now. The walls were thin, but he did claim a room with at least one outside wall which should be thicker than the interior ones. He had an outside wall and a quick escape if he needed it, because he was near the exit. The downside to that was that he would hear Ryou calling them away sooner than others. He huffed again and got up, still wearing his clothes from the day before, minus the extra sweater. He didn't get changed before slipping into a doze and rudely waking for the second time that day. He wasn't used to being up so early in the morning, and he couldn't wait for it to be over.

He didn't say anything after joining folks in the courtyard and Ryou leading them into the forest. This he liked. The boy even paused once or twice to pick an interesting looking plant. He didn't fall too far behind on those explorations though. Getting lost or hurt in a strange place was a bad thing. He wanted to ask about one of the plants he picked up, but his voice faltered at the waterfall. Tucking the strange leaves in his pocket, he gave an appreciative gasp.